Kremlin critic claims court has refused to return her £1.2m cash

Russian socialite and Kremlin critic Ksenia Sobchak said yesterday that a Moscow court had refused to return some €1.5 million (£1.2m) in cash confiscated during a raid on her apartment ahead of a June protest against Vladimir Putin’s rule.

Police searched Ms Sobchak’s apartment and the flats of other protest leaders, the day before the first big protest against Mr Putin’s return to the presidency for a six-year term since his 7 May inauguration.

While going through the belongings of the 30-year-old television celebrity and restaurateur, police confiscated approximately €1.5m worth of various currencies which she kept in cash in envelopes, she said.

“She told Twitter followers the court justified its decision with concern that she may use the money to finance future “mass riots”.

The opposition searches have drawn comparisons to Soviet-era heavy-handed tactics against dissidents and signalled Mr Putin, a former KGB spy, may be running out of patience.