British police have charged a 31-year-old man, Joshua Cammidge, with assisting a foreign intelligence service and carrying out preparatory acts of sabotage under the UK's national security law, police said.
Cammidge was first arrested on September 4. He was re-arrested the following day as part of the investigation and has since been held in custody.
According to prosecutors, Cammidge was in contact with, and received instructions from, a person believed to be linked to the GRU's Volunteer Corps, a structure controlled by Russian military intelligence. He has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service and with preparatory actions for sabotage.
British authorities have not disclosed what act of sabotage Cammidge is alleged to have been planning.
Minister points to threat across Europe
UK Security Minister Dan Jarvis said police had acted against a potential threat, the BBC reported.
Jarvis said he knew people were concerned about recent incidents across Europe aimed at sowing fear, causing destabilisation and undermining support for Ukraine.
The GRU is Russia's military intelligence agency. In July, the UK government formally recognised the GRU's Volunteer Corps as a threat to national security, citing its role in gathering intelligence and carrying out covert hostile operations on behalf of Russian military intelligence. New legislation introduced at the time banned support for the group.
Cammidge is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on September 10.
Wider pattern of sabotage in Europe
Kremlin-linked sabotage in Europe poses a direct threat to the security of NATO countries and their critical infrastructure. An attempted attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport, which Germany has directly blamed on Russia, showed that Moscow is prepared to bring the war onto the territory of European states, including targets linked to support for Ukraine.
In early September, Germany recorded two acts of sabotage against electrical substations within a single day.
In late August, police in Slovakia said they had prevented an arson attack on a factory that manufactures drones.
