Meet 'Russia's Paris Hilton' Ksenia Sobchak, the young socialite and TV host challenging Putin for the Russian presidency

Thomson Reuters

Russian TV personality Ksenia Sobchak attends a news conference in Moscow.

TV host, actress, and socialite Ksenia Sobchak - who some call the "Russian Paris Hilton" - is an unlikely challenger to Russian President Vladimir Putin's tight grip over Russian society.

But Sobchak, whose father Anatoly Sobchak was the first elected mayor of St. Petersburg and one of the framers of Russia's modern constitution, is a nationally recognized figure in the country, and she's already made a name for herself among the country's opposition.

She has also been invited to the national prayer breakfast with President Donald Trump in Washington on February 1, which will be well-attended by fellow Russian political figures.

Here's how Sobchak went from pop culture darling to a straight-talking politician taking on Russia's authoritarian president: