The building was expropriated by the government during the Second World War for use by the Royal Canadian Navy, but was instead handed over to the Soviets to house their growing legation.

Ottawa Mayor Charlotte Whitton arrived at the blaze and demanded the fire department be let in, and threatened to have the embassy staff arrested.

[7] In July 2007, Jeffrey Delisle, a former Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Navy walked into the Embassy of Russia in Ottawa and offered to sell secret information to the Russian military intelligence service; the GRU.

Delisle continued handing over classified information to his GRU handler for 4 more years until December 2011 before being arrested in January 2012.

[10] The Embassy claimed that the responsibility for all civilian deaths during the Russian attack, called "Special Military Operation" in Kremlin-controlled media, was on the Ukrainian side.

[11] Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has referred to claims from the Russian Embassy as "misinformation" and "propaganda".