A U.S. Army spokesperson said in a statement that an American soldier was captured in Russia last week.
Soldier, Staff Sgt. Four U.S. officials said Gordon Black was stationed in South Korea and had traveled to Russia on personal, rather than official, business.
Officials said he was on his way back to the United States after his deployment and took a detour to Vladivostok, Russia, to visit a woman with whom he was romantically involved. They added that he traveled there without his superiors' permission and is currently in pretrial confinement.
Officials said the soldier was charged with stealing from the woman. It was not immediately clear whether the woman he was visiting was the same one.
U.S. military spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith said in a statement that the soldier was taken into custody Thursday.
Smith said the soldier was arrested in Vladivostok “on suspicion of criminal activity.”
“The Russian Federation has notified the U.S. State Department of criminal detention pursuant to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations,” Smith said. “The Army has notified his family and the U.S. State Department is providing appropriate consular assistance to the soldier in Russia. Given the sensitivity of this matter, we are unable to provide additional details at this time.” ”
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was “deeply concerned” by reports that soldiers had been captured in Russia.
“President Putin has a long history of holding Americans hostage,” McCaul said. Posts shared by. “We warn all Americans: As the State Department says, travel to Russia is not safe.”
The U.S. Department of State's current travel guidelines restrict citizens from traveling to Russia. The State Department's advisory states that “greater vigilance is required due to the risk of wrongful detention.” The Pentagon has also restricted travel for Pentagon employees.
Black is one of many Americans, including civilians, being held in Russia.
Arrests of Americans in Russia are increasing as relations between the two countries deteriorate to Cold War-era lows, the Associated Press reported. The United States has accused Russia of targeting Americans and using them as bargaining chips, according to the Associated Press.
Among the most prominent Americans detained are Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was jailed last March, and former Marine Paul Whelan, who was arrested in 2018. There is. The U.S. government said Mr. Gershkovic and Mr. Whelan were being unlawfully detained.
WNBA star Brittney Griner spent 10 months in a Russian penal colony on drug charges, but was released in 2022 in a rare prisoner swap with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.