... as I said - fake candidate (and Putin’s god-daughter to boot). The equivalent in the US would be Obama running again and allowing Roseanne Barr, Paris Hilton and the Rent is Too Damn High guy to be his opponents.
All eyes on Russia in 2018 as they have their elections plus host the World Cup.
Regarding Ksenia Sobchak - indeed the mainstream theory is that she is a ploy to split the opposition vote and lend pizazz to electoral process. (The main leader of the opposition, Alexei Navalny, is not allowed to run due to Kremlin claims of embezzlement.)
But some, quite seasoned and elderly historians and Russian observers I pay attention to believe Sobchak may herself be Putin’s successor. After all, it was her father, Anatoly who essentially gave Putin his political start.
Ksenia is getting away with saying some crazy things like “Crimea is Ukraine” (its illegal to and warrants arrest in Russia as it falls under extremism and some law about denial of Russian territory.)
...but it may be in the Kremlin’s long term interest to shift course on some of their policies anyway. (continuous hybrid war in Eastern Ukraine not exactly productive ) So she may be doing their bidding paving the way.