Joshua Cammidge, from Swindon in western England, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday. Prosecutors allege that he assisted a foreign intelligence service and prepared an act of sabotage after contact with the GRU Volunteer Corps, which they say was controlled by Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU.
Prosecutor Sarah Przybylska told the court that Cammidge exchanged messages with a British national who had travelled to Russia to fight against Ukraine. In those messages, the other man allegedly asked him to identify sites where drones were manufactured. The prosecution said the two also discussed sabotage and that Cammidge volunteered to carry it out.
Prosecutors further allege that Cammidge researched a Wi-Fi jamming device and conducted reconnaissance. The allegations have not been tested at trial. Cammidge was not asked to enter pleas at Friday’s hearing; his lawyer, John Oliver, said he intended to deny the accusations. Oliver said there had been no intention to cause or participate in sabotage and that the messages should not be taken seriously.
Cammidge was remanded in custody and is due back in court in January to enter a plea. The trial is scheduled for April at Winchester Crown Court. Russia’s embassy in London had not commented on the case at the time of the report.