Washington: A US soldier who was visiting a girlfriend in the Russian city of Vladivostok was arrested on charges of stealing from her and remains in custody, according to senior American officials. The White House also confirmed it was "aware" of the arrest of Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, which is likely to further complicate relations between the US and Russia, which have grown increasingly tense due to the Ukraine conflict.
Black, who is married, was stationed in South Korea and was in the process of returning home to Fort Cavazos in Texas. However, instead of returning home, he travelled to Russia to see a longtime girlfriend. Cynthia Smith, the Army spokeswoman, confirmed that a soldier was detained on Thursday in Vladivostok, a major military and commercial Pacific port, on charges of criminal misconduct. “The US Department of State is providing appropriate consular support to the soldier in Russia,” Smith said.
According to officials, the Russian woman had lived in South Korea, and last fall she and Black got into some type of domestic dispute or altercation. After that, she left South Korea. It isn’t clear if she was forced to leave or what, if any, role Korean authorities had in the matter. Officials also said that Black, an infantry soldier, did not tell his unit that he was going to Russia, and did not receive any authorisation to go there.
US soldier beat woman, stole money: Report
A US official said the soldier was accused of stealing from a woman and that Russia had notified the US State Department of the soldier's criminal detention in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. The Russian daily Izvestia, quoting an unnamed source, said the South Korea-based Army sergeant met a woman from Russia's far eastern port of Vladivostok on the Internet.
Izvestia said the couple lived together for a time. However, he beat her and stole 200,000 rubles ($2,200) from her. Asked about the soldier's detention, a US State Department spokesperson confirmed only that "a US citizen has been detained" in Russia. "We reiterate our strong warnings about the danger posed to US citizens inside the Russian Federation. US citizens residing or travelling in Russia should depart immediately, as stated in our Travel Advisory for Russia," the State Department spokesperson said.
US citizens detained in Russia
The arrest comes less than a year after American soldier Travis King sprinted into North Korea across the heavily fortified border between the Koreas. North Korea later announced that it would expel King, who was returned to the US. He was eventually charged with desertion. It's unclear if US soldiers are prohibited from entering Russia, although the State Department strongly advises citizens not to go.
Russia is known to be holding a number of Americans in its jails, including corporate security executive Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. The US government has designated both as wrongfully detained and has been trying to negotiate for their release.
Others detained include Travis Leake, a musician who had been living in Russia for years and was arrested last year on drug-related charges; Marc Fogel, a teacher in Moscow, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison, also on drug charges; and dual nationals Alsu Kurmasheva and Ksenia Khavana.
(with inputs from agencies)
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