UK court remands British man accused of plotting sabotage on drone factories for Russia

Sabotage charges in London court

Joshua Cammidge, a 31-year-old resident of Galsworthy Close in Swindon, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 10 September 2026 facing charges under the National Security Act. Prosecutor Warren Stanier stated that Cammidge gathered reconnaissance on four drone manufacturing facilities near his home and offered to carry out acts of sabotage on behalf of Russian intelligence. Authorities alleged that between 27 March and 5 September, Cammidge supplied Google Maps screenshots of factory locations and provided operational activity details regarding one facility. He was also accused of conducting technical research into Wi-Fi jamming equipment. Cammidge entered no plea during the hearing, though prosecutors noted he strenuously denied the allegations during police interviews, asserting he had no intention of conducting sabotage. The judge denied him bail and remanded him in custody ahead of a 25 September appearance at the Old Bailey.

Contacts with Russian intelligence

Counter-terrorism officers from London, assisted by Wiltshire Police, arrested Cammidge at a Swindon address on 4 September before detaining him under the National Security Act 2023 the following day. According to court filings, Cammidge communicated between 28 August and 3 September with a British national based in Russia who was fighting against Ukraine. Prosecutors alleged that this contact linked Cammidge directly to the GRU Volunteer Corps, an organization controlled by Russia's military intelligence service that the British government designated under the National Security (State Threats) Act 2026 in July. Stanier told the court that separate conversations Cammidge had with an ex-partner and a workplace colleague corroborated that Russian operatives had solicited the reconnaissance.

Prosecutor Warren Stanier outlined the core evidence regarding the communications during the hearing.

“The essence of those conversations was the location of factories in the UK which manufacture drones and the sabotage of those factories.”

Arctic cable operations and warnings

The London court proceeding took place as allied governments disclosed separate incidents involving Russian covert operations in northern Europe. Western officials reported that NATO naval units tracked and expelled Russian vessels near the Svalbard archipelago as they conducted undersea cable sabotage exercises with submersible craft. Britain's defence ministry previously pointed to covert activities by Russia's deep-sea research directorate, known as GUGI, which operates under international sanctions. Norwegian defence minister Tore Sandvik confirmed the confrontation and emphasized that allied forces monitored Russian naval movements throughout the area.

“Through our joint operation, we sent a clear message to Russia that they cannot operate covertly... It is in no one's interest to escalate tensions in the High North.”

Officials also disclosed that CIA director John Ratcliffe travelled to Moscow in August to warn Russian counterparts against escalating covert operations on European soil.

Mutual accusations and border strikes

Diplomatic friction widened in Moscow, where Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested a former Russian security guard from the British Embassy on treason charges. The FSB alleged the man gathered intelligence on British diplomats for Ukrainian blogger Dmytro Karpenko as part of a purported Ukrainian plan to target the British ambassador and frame Russia. Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation dismissed the claim, stating Moscow was fabricating narratives to preemptively deflect blame from its own covert plots. Meanwhile, cross-border violence continued in Russia's Belgorod region, where regional officials confirmed on 10 September that Ukrainian drone strikes killed two men, one at a facility in Novy Oskol and another in a car in Shebekino, while injuring seven others.