Russia arrests US soldier on theft charges

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A US soldier has been detained in Russia’s far eastern city of Vladivostok on charges of theft, in the latest high-profile arrest of an American citizen by Russian authorities.

Both the US army and Russian law enforcement confirmed the arrest, which took place last week while Staff Sgt Gordon Black was on a trip from South Korea, where he had been stationed at a US base.

Several US nationals are currently imprisoned in Russia on charges of espionage or other political crimes, and are considered hostages by Washington, including former US marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

Russia’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday the Vladivostok case, however, was not political or related to espionage, according to state news agency Tass.

NBC News was first to report the identity of the 34-year-old soldier, who is married. Black had travelled to Vladivostok on a “side trip” after completing his deployment in South Korea and without the permission of his superiors, according to NBC.

The local court in Vladivostok confirmed his identity.

Police detained Black on Thursday at a Vladivostok hotel, according to state news agency Tass, and he had already purchased plane tickets back to the US. The local court ruled on Friday to place the man in pre-trial detention on charges of theft until July 2.

The soldier entered Russia to visit his girlfriend, a Russian national he met in South Korea, according to local police in Russia’s far-eastern Primorsky Krai region, which borders China and North Korea.

The couple then had a disagreement, the police said. After Black left, his girlfriend accused him of stealing money and reported him to law enforcement.

“It was established that the applicant was in a relationship with a foreign citizen, whom she met in the Republic of Korea, where she was working,” the police in Primorsky Krai said. “Having returned to Vladivostok, the girl continued to communicate with the young man online.”

Black had arrived at her house on April 10, and “later had a conflict” with her, the police said. “After he left, the girl found the money missing and turned to the police for help.”

Russia notified the US state department shortly after his arrest, according to US Army spokesperson Cynthia Smith. The military then informed his family, Smith said in a statement.

The US warns American citizens against all travel to Russia due to the risk of wrongful detention. Negotiations are ongoing between Washington and Moscow to arrange a hostage exchange that would secure the release of Gershkovich, the journalist, who was arrested in Ekaterinburg in 2023, as well as other wrongfully detained Americans.