Brit accused of feeding Russian military intelligence details of UK drone factories

A 31-year-old man from Swindon, England, named Joshua Cammidge, has been accused of providing information about UK drone factories to individuals linked to Russian military intelligence. Joshua appeared in a London court this week, charged with two offenses under Britain's National Security Act: assisting a foreign intelligence service and preparing to commit sabotage.

Prosecutors claim he shared Google Maps screenshots highlighting one drone factory and four other manufacturing sites in his hometown, as well as offered to carry out a sabotage act himself. Additionally, he allegedly researched a device capable of jamming Wi-Fi signals and scouted the locations in person. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) alleges these actions took place between late March and early September of this year, and were directed towards someone believed to be affiliated with the GRU Volunteer Corps, a group controlled by Russia's military intelligence agency.

CPS Chief Prosecutor Frank Ferguson stated that the prosecution was brought following a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation, as the evidence indicates sufficient grounds to bring the case to court and it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings. Joshua did not enter a plea at Westminster Magistrates' Court and was remanded in custody.

His case will be heard at London's Old Bailey on September 25th. The timing of the case is particularly significant given the tense relations between Russia and the UK, a situation already strained by incidents such as the 2006 poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko and the 2018 Salisbury nerve-agent attack on Sergei Skripal. The UK continues to be a key ally of Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion, and Swindon, in particular, has become a notable center for UK military drone production, making it a target of interest to Russia.