Former Model on Putin Hit List Wants to Be Ealing Councillor

Ksenia Maximova to stand for Lib Dems in Walpole ward

Walpole Liberal Democrats candidates Matt Mellor, Ksenia Maximova and William Francis

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July 29, 2025

A former model, who is the founder and director of the Russian Democratic Society, is planning to stand in the next local elections for Ealing Council. She has been selected by the Liberal Democrats as one of their three candidates for Walpole ward in the contest next May.

Moscow born Ksenia Maximova shot to international fame when she was scouted at the age of 16 and came to live in Ealing. Following the end of her modelling career she remained in the fashion industry and has worked as a casting director, photographer’s representative and production coordinator.

She is also an advocate for humanitarian causes particularly the support of Ukrainian refugees. She has been outspoken about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the authoritarian nature of Vladimir Putin’s regime and helped establish the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Russia and Democracy. She has provided help to Russian conscripts seeking to avoid mobilisation. She says this has resulted her being put on a ‘hit-list’ of Kremlin critics and she has received advice from counter-terrorism police officers about her personal safety including how to protect herself from a nerve agent attack similar to the one that killed Dawn Sturgess in Salisbury.

The Russian Democratic Society has also been targeted by a Russian based group of hackers called Cold River. Ms Maximova was sent an email which appeared to come from a Washington based anti-Putin think tank but turned out to be an attempt to gain access to her computer. She was told by the US digital-rights organisation, Access Now, that her organisation had been targeted as part of an FSB (Russian security services) operation.

Ms Maximova said, “I have lived in Ealing since 1999 and attended Notting Hill and Ealing High School. I am engaged with local issues: campaigning for cleaner streets, fixing infrastructure problems, and advocating for better public spaces. My family and I regularly supported the community whether that be volunteering with LAGER Can or assisting isolated residents during lockdown. As a Councillor I would listen to residents and then work hard to solve problems for local people. In particular, I want to help those vulnerable people who can’t do everything online and what the Council to provide in person and telephone services once again”

The two other candidates chosen by the Lib Dems for the ward are media analyst, William Francis who says his focus will be on crime, housing and clean streets, and Matt Mellor, who contested the ward in 2022. He works as a Contract Manager in the NHS lives locally with his wife and two children. His particular concerns are service provision, particularly for children and he says he will campaign to make sure that the Council fixes the issues around the SUDS scheme in Lammas Park.

Walpole ward may turn out to be a three-way contest. The ward generally went to the Conservatives up until 2014 when Labour took all three seats. Last time out Binda Rai, Grace Quansah and Gareth Shaw were elected ahead of the Conservative candidates but with the Liberal Democrat candidates not far behind. Both opposition parties will be hoping to win this seat from Labour with the Lammas Park drainage scheme likely to be an important factor in the result.