Vladimir Putin served as a KGB foreign intelligence officer for 16 years before retiring in 1991 where he undertook a fresh challenge in politics.
Anatoly Sobchak, Ksenia’s father, who seen as one of the founders of Russian democracy, having co-authored the Constitution of the Russian Federation, was a mentor and teacher to President Putin in his early days as a political figure.
Mr Sobchak became the first elected mayor of Saint Petersburg, with President Putin serving him as an international affairs advisor and later head of the Committee for External Relations for the St Petersburg Mayor’s Office.
President Putin rose through the ranks under Mr Sobchak, becoming his deputy until the St Petersburg mayor lost his seat to another former deputy Vladimir Yakovlev.
In 1997, a criminal investigation was started against Mr Sobchak, who flew to Paris where he lived as a political exile between 1997 and 1999.
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With the help President Putin, the charges were dropped against Mr Sobchak, and in 1999 he returned to help his former student on his quest for the Russian presidency.
Mr Sobchak died, in a cloud of suspicious circumstances, on February 20, 2000, with reports of a “contract killing” emerging from an independent investigation by Arkady Vaksberg.
Now speaking to BBC Newsnight Liudmila Narusova, Mr Sobchak’s widow, revealed there is a document that may contain the secrets to her husband’s death and President Putin’s rise to power.
She said: “You know, as a person, as a comrade, as a friend, he is very loyal.”
However, Ms Narusova remains suspicious about the events surrounding her husband’s death.
When asked whether here husband was murdered, she replied: “I don’t know.
“He had many enemies and they haven’t gone away.
“There were people who thought they were manoeuvring Putin into power.
“They knew Sobchak might get in their way because he was the only person Putin listened to.”
Ms Narusova had her own independent autopsy performed on her husband’s body, keeping the results a closely guarded secret and locked in safe.
“They exist,” she said, adding they are kept outside of Russia and could be seen as some sort of insurance policy.
On why she has kept her findings as an insurance policy, she said: “You know, living in this country is scary so I am afraid. I am afraid.”
Mr Sobchak’s daughter, Ksenia, is now running against President Putin in the 2018 Russian presidential election.
The 36-year-old television and former model may have known President Putin since her childhood but is now in the race to oust him from power.
She has promised to act as an intermediary in President Putin’s “bloodless” exit from power, ensuring his freedom and security as he’s eased out of the Kremlin.
As one of the most recognised figures in Russia because of her celebrity background, sceptics believe she was asked to run by the Kremlin to detract from the main opposition leader Alexei Navalny who has been ban from running.
Her supporters point to her real criticism of President Putin, claiming she is a genuine contender who wants to turn Russia into a European democracy.