September 10, 2026

A British Man Is Accused of Being Recruited by Russian Military Intelligence - He Now Faces Sabotage Charges

Joshua Cammidge, 31, of Swindon (a town in the South West on England), has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service and preparing an act of sabotage, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Prosecutors allege he communicated with and received instructions from an individual linked to the GRU Volunteer Corps, which the CPS describes as a group controlled by Russia's military intelligence agency (GRU).

The Charges

Cammidge is charged with engaging in conduct to materially assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out UK-related activities, under section 3(1) of the National Security Act 2023, and with intending to commit an act of sabotage and preparing to carry it out, under section 18(1) of the same act, according to the Telegraph and Wiltshire 999s. The sabotage-preparation charge carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment; assisting a foreign intelligence service carries up to 14 years. Counter Terrorism Policing London raided his home on Galworthy Close, Liden, on September 4, 2026, and he was re-arrested the next day after a second address in Swindon was searched. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on September 10, 2026.

Frank Ferguson, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS's Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said prosecutors had established sufficient evidence and that pursuing the case was in the public interest, adding that proceedings are active and Cammidge "has the right to a fair trial." Security minister Dan Jarvis called Cammidge "a potential threat" and said Britain would "continue to take whatever action is necessary to defend against the range of threats we face from Russia."

A Banned Network With a Record

The GRU Volunteer Corps was designated a national security threat under the National Security Act in July 2026. Home Office minister Lord Hanson told Parliament, per the Telegraph, that the group is part of a network of volunteer and proxy formations the GRU has "directly supervised and funded... using them as recruitment and deployment mechanisms" since 2023, when Russia's volunteer forces in Ukraine, including the Wagner Group, came under GRU control. The GRU's record against the UK includes the 2018 Novichok poisoning in Salisbury, which killed a British woman, and an arson attack on a London warehouse storing aid for Ukraine in 2024 that the Telegraph reports was directed by the Wagner Group. Britain and its allies have also blamed Russia for other recent incidents in Europe, including an attack on Poland's energy grid in December 2025 attributed to the FSB and an attempted drone attack at Germany's Leipzig airport.

What Happens Next

Cammidge has not been convicted of any offense, and the case remains active ahead of his court appearance. The CPS has asked that there be no reporting or commentary that could prejudice the proceedings.