A U.S. soldier was detained in Russia last week, a U.S. Army spokesperson said in a statement.
Four U.S. officials stated that Staff Sgt. Gordon Black traveled to Russia independently from his stationed post in South Korea, not on official business.
Officials revealed that he visited Vladivostok during his return from deployment without superiors’ permission. Consequently, authorities are now holding him in pretrial confinement.
Officials accused the soldier of theft from a woman, but it’s unclear if he visited her.
The soldier was detained Thursday, U.S. Army spokesperson Cynthia O. Smith said in a statement.
Smith said the soldier was apprehended in Vladivostok “on charges of criminal misconduct.”
“The Russian Federation notified the U.S. Department of State of the criminal detention in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations,” Smith said. “The Army notified his family and the U.S. Department of State is providing appropriate consular support 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 Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed “deep concern” over reports of a soldier’s detention in Russia.
“Putin has a long history of holding American citizens hostage,” McCaul said in a post shared on X. “A warning to all Americans—as the State Department has said, it is not safe to travel to Russia.”
As the situation unfolds, concerns grow about how the US soldier’s detention may affect broader geopolitical dynamics.
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