Russia opens criminal case against anti-war organizer, former model, and London councilor Ksenia Maksimova

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Ksenia Maksimova, who heads the London-based antiwar group Russian Democratic Society and serves as a councilor for the London Borough of Ealing, has been placed on an international wanted list.Russian authorities opened a criminal investigation into Maksimova for allegedly taking part in a terrorist organization’s activities, citing her work with the Anti-War Committee of Russia. They also placed her on a federal wanted list and added her to Russia’s list of terrorists and extremists. The FSB claims that Maksimova raised funds and gathered other aid for Ukraine through the Russian Democratic Society.Maksimova is a former model who was ranked among the world’s top 50 models in the 2000s. She founded the Russian Democratic Society in London with other activists in 2022. The group works with the Anti-War Committee of Russia, and Maksimova has served as the committee’s consul in the U.K. since 2024.In May 2026, Maksimova was elected a councilor for the London Borough of Ealing.In late August 2026, Maksimova wrote to a London club objecting to a planned concert by Instasamka (real name Darya Zoteyeva). She said the singer had been listed in Ukraine’s “Myrotvorets” database for sending money to Russian military personnel. Zoteyeva denied sending the money, but the club canceled the concert after reviewing Maksimova’s complaint.At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.