Russia's FSB Says It Opened Criminal Case Against London-Based Activist Ksenia Maximova

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said it has opened a criminal case against Ksenia Maximova, a former model and London-based activist, according to a report by Russian state news agency TASS.

TASS reported that the FSB released what it described as new data related to the United Kingdom's dealings with Russian émigrés, though the report did not detail the specific nature of the case against Maximova or the evidence cited by the FSB.

The report did not specify what charges Maximova faces, nor did it include a response from Maximova, UK authorities, or independent verification of the FSB's claims.

Russian state security agencies have periodically brought cases against Russian nationals living abroad who are critical of the Kremlin, moves that rights groups and Western governments have characterized as attempts to pressure or silence dissidents. TASS's report reflects the FSB's own characterization of events and does not include an independent account of the underlying allegations.

Neither UK officials nor Maximova had publicly responded to the FSB's announcement at the time of TASS's report.