Ksenia Sobchak, born on 5 November 1981 in Leningrad, grew up at a time when the Soviet Union was entering its final decade, and her early life mirrored the transformation of the country around her. As the daughter of Anatoly Sobchak, who became mayor of St. Petersburg in 1991, she was exposed to a circle of artists, academics, and early post-Soviet reformers. By the mid-1990s she was studying classical dance, languages, and political science, shaping a unique balance of culture and public life.