The FSB, Russia's security service, asserts that the council, inactive in Russia since 2018, has used Ukrainian refugees in the UK to collect military and political information.

The FSB is investigating and may charge individuals with a crime punishable by up to eight years in jail. The British Council has not yet responded to these allegations. The organization, established in 1934 and funded by the UK government, was banned by Moscow in 2018 amid espionage tensions.