British man charged with aiding Russian spies to sabotage UK drone factory

Prosecutors in a London court stated on Thursday that Joshua Cammidge, a 31-year-old British man, plotted with Russian spies to sabotage a drone factory in England. He was charged with engaging in conduct to materially assist a foreign intelligence service in violation of the National Security Act. During his initial court appearance, Cammidge did not enter a plea, was returned to custody, and was ordered to appear at the Central Criminal Court on September 25.

Speaking at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, prosecutor Warren Stanier said Cammidge was in contact with a suspected representative of the GRU Volunteer Corps, a group controlled by Russia’s military intelligence agency. Stanier noted that the essence of their communications focused on locations within the U.K. of factories manufacturing drones and plans for their sabotage, adding that Cammidge knew exactly who he was communicating with and the implications of his actions. Between March and early September, Cammidge allegedly provided information on four drone manufacturing sites in his hometown of Swindon, west of London.

The U.K. declared the GRU Volunteer Corps a national security threat in July for collecting foreign intelligence and conducting hostile covert operations on behalf of Russian military spies. Support for the GRU was banned under a new law intended to give the government more powers to tackle proxy organizations carrying out hostile activity on behalf of foreign states. Supporters convicted of assisting the group face up to 14 years in prison.

U.K. authorities have previously blamed the GRU for hostile activities against the country and its allies. These include the 2018 Salisbury nerve agent attack, as well as broader sabotage and intelligence operations across Europe.