Putin's rumoured goddaughter flees Russia after raids on home

Moscow reportedly raided one of her houses as part of a criminal case into alleged wrongdoing by her media director, who was arrested on charges of extortion.

Sobchak is the daughter of the former mayor of St Petersburg Anatoly Sobchak, whom Putin has previously described as his mentor. She ran for the Russian presidency in 2018, a move her critics said was a publicity stunt intended to help the Kremlin create the impression of competitive elections.