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In the latest high-profile arrest of an American citizen by Russian authorities, a U.S. soldier was arrested on charges of theft in Vladivostok, the city in Russia’s far east.
Both U.S. Army and Russian law enforcement confirmed the arrest, which took place last week while Staff Sergeant Gordon Black was traveling from South Korea, where he was stationed at a U.S. base.
Several US citizens are currently imprisoned in Russia for espionage or other political crimes and are considered hostages by Washington, including former US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
However, according to the state news agency Tass, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the Vladivostok case was neither political nor had anything to do with espionage.
NBC News was first to report the identity of the 34-year-old soldier, who is married. According to NBC, Black traveled to Vladivostok on a “detour” after completing his deployment in South Korea and without permission from his superiors.
The district court in Vladivostok confirmed his identity.
According to state news agency Tass, police arrested Black at a hotel in Vladivostok on Thursday and he had already purchased plane tickets back to the United States. The district court decided on Friday to take the man into custody until July 2nd for theft.
The soldier entered Russia to visit his girlfriend, a Russian citizen whom he met in South Korea, according to local police in the Primorye region in Russia’s far east, which borders China and North Korea.
The couple then had a disagreement, police said. After Black left, his girlfriend accused him of stealing money and reported him to law enforcement.
“It was discovered that the complainant had a relationship with a foreign citizen whom she met in the Republic of Korea, where she worked,” police in Primorye said. “After returning to Vladivostok, the girl continued to communicate with the young man online.”
Black arrived at her home on April 10 and “later had an argument” with her, police said. “After he left, the girl discovered the money was missing and contacted the police for help.”
According to US Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith, Russia notified the US State Department shortly after his arrest. The military then informed his family, Smith said in a statement.
The US warns American citizens against traveling to Russia because of the risk of unlawful detention. Negotiations are currently underway between Washington and Moscow on a hostage exchange that should ensure the release of the journalist Gershkovich, who was arrested in Yekaterinburg in 2023, as well as other Americans who were unjustly imprisoned.