theme music ksenia sobchak welcome to hardtalk. thank you. you have a very big ambition. do you think it takes? what are the qualities, the assets needed to be president of russia? first of all, in modern russia, the quality which is needed to challenge putin and to challenge him for a change is to be brave, because elections in russia now are not elections in belgium. it is not like trying to become a prime minister in not very big european country. here, when you come into politics, you can face very big problems and there were already raids in my home, i was... all my work was finished after i said about my political views, years ago, and my life really changed dramatically six years ago, when i first went out on the streets to say what i think about the system. now, when i'm taking the challenge, i recognize all the risks that come with it and that the situation can be harsh for me. bravery — that seems important to you and i understand why and i want to talk to you about exactly what you have experienced in the years since you decided to join the activist opposition

. >> ksenia sobchak is already unofficially campaigning for russia's top job. speaking at a shudent rally in st. petersburg. she may be a new face in national politics, but she's been a russian celebrity for years as a glamorous socialite, a "playboy" model, and scandalous reality tv star. ♪ ♪ now, she's morphed again, as a challenger to president vladimir titin, but with no illusions. >> no way putin will let anyone foke away his power, even if all are people of russia would vote for me. >> reporter: so you are literally a protest candidate? >> yes. >> reporter: and here's her potential base: russians fed up with censorship, rigged elections, and corruption, who last got to protest en masse in 2011. >> i don't want people to vote personally for me. i want them to vote against the system. >> reporter: the system's official media is off limits, so sobchak is campaigning online, inspired by modern american politics. her strategist is washington- based vitaly shkliarov, who worked on bernie sanders' anmpaign. what did you learn from your time as an activist with t