Joshua Cammidge, 31, will face trial next year on charges of assisting a foreign intelligence service and preparing an act of sabotage. Prosecutors allege he provided information on drone manufacturing sites and offered to sabotage them for Russia's GRU military intelligence agency.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by Russian intelligence to gather information and potentially disrupt operations related to military technology, underscoring the geopolitical risks associated with the conflict in Ukraine and the broader security landscape.
A British man, Joshua Cammidge, 31, is set to stand trial next year after being accused of providing information about drone manufacturing factories to Russian intelligence and offering to sabotage them. The charges include assisting a foreign intelligence service and preparing an act of sabotage, linked to the GRU Volunteer Corps, which prosecutors stated is controlled by Russia's GRU military intelligence agency.
During a hearing at London's Old Bailey court on Friday, prosecutor Sarah Przybylska told the court that Cammidge had exchanged messages with a British national who had traveled to Russia to fight against Ukraine. In these communications, Cammidge was allegedly tasked with locating drone manufacturing sites and volunteered to carry out sabotage to aid the Russian war effort. He is also accused of researching a Wi-Fi jamming device and conducting reconnaissance.
Cammidge did not enter pleas, but his lawyer, John Oliver, informed the court that his client intends to deny the accusations, asserting that there was "no intention to cause or take part in sabotage" and that the communications were "not to be taken seriously." Russia's embassy in London has not commented on the case. Cammidge has been remanded in custody and is expected to enter a plea in January, with the trial scheduled for April at Winchester Crown Court.
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