British man accused for planning to sabotage UK drone factories for Russia

On the 4th September 2026, Joshua Cammidge, 31, was arrested and then later detained under the National Security Act 2023 for his collusion with Russian intelligence services. At Westminster Magistrates’ Court on the 10th, he was accused of providing two Google Map screenshots of four drone factories located near his home in Swindon, Wiltshire, as well as conducting reconnaissance of the facilities and volunteering to sabotage one of the four factories for the Russian-linked GRU Volunteer Corps group.

The GRU Volunteer Corps supports Russian military and intelligence objectives and is sanctioned by the UK under the National Security Act 2023. They have been responsible for a variety of hostile activities, including the 2018 Salisbury nerve agent attack. It is believed that Cammidge was in frequent communication with a person linked to the GRU Volunteer Corps. He made contact with this man 58 times between the 28th August and 3rd September. Cammidge is expected to appear at the Old Bailey on September 25th.

This arrest follows Russian warnings of retaliation after the UK increased its military support for Ukraine in August in which Andrewi Fedorov, a former Russian deputy foreign minister, warned that there could be a “semi-military” attack against UK drone factories amid mounting domestic pressure on Putin. Wes Streeting, British defence minister, highlighted how this incident reflected Russia’s constant “probing” and “testing” of UK security. Meanwhile, security minister Dan Jarvis reassured that although this Russian sabotage aimed to “sow fear, create disruption and undermine support for Ukraine. They will not succeed”.