Key facts
- A British man, Joshua Cammidge, is accused of preparing to sabotage a UK drone factory for Russia.
- Cammidge allegedly researched four drone manufacturing sites in Swindon and a wifi jamming device.
- He is accused of communicating with and receiving instructions from an individual linked to Russia's GRU Volunteer Corps.
- Charges include assisting a foreign intelligence service and preparing an act of sabotage.
- Cammidge appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and was remanded in custody.
- The GRU Volunteer Corps was formally designated as a terrorist group by the UK government in July 2026.
A British national, Joshua Cammidge, 31, has been accused in court of preparing to sabotage a UK drone factory on behalf of Russia's intelligence services. Cammidge allegedly researched four drone manufacturing sites in Swindon, as well as a wifi jamming device, and conducted reconnaissance. He is accused of communicating with and receiving instructions from an individual believed to be linked to the GRU Volunteer Corps, a group controlled by Russia’s intelligence services.
According to charges presented in court, between March 27 and September 5 of this year, Cammidge provided the individual with Google Maps screenshots showing the addresses of four drone manufacturing sites in Swindon and details about activity at one factory. Cammidge appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday wearing a prison-issue tracksuit and was remanded in custody. He has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service and intending to commit or engage in conduct to prepare an act of sabotage. He did not enter a plea, and the case was sent to the Old Bailey for September 25.
Cammidge, of Galsworthy Close, Swindon, was arrested last Friday by Counter Terrorism Policing London officers, supported by Wiltshire Police, at an address in Swindon. He was taken to a London police station, and searches were conducted at another Swindon address. The following day, he was further arrested and detained under the National Security Act 2023. The GRU Volunteer Corps was formally designated as a terrorist group by the UK government in July 2026, making it a criminal offense to support the group. The GRU itself is sanctioned by the UK, and has been linked to cyber attacks and the attempted poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal.