US soldier arrested in Russia for alleged theft and held in detention, state media says

A US soldier arrested in Vladivostok, far eastern Russia, on charges of theft has lost his appeal against his detention and will remain in custody, Russia’s official RIA Novosti news agency reported Friday, citing court officials. .

The soldier, identified by judicial authorities as Gordon Black, will remain in custody until at least July 2, the report said, after the Primorsky Regional Court upheld the lower court’s decision to place Black in custody pending trial. investigation and trial.

Several U.S. officials said earlier this month that Black, a 34-year-old staff sergeant, was stationed in South Korea and was about to return home to Fort Cavazos, Texas. Instead, officials said Black, who is married, traveled to Russia to see a longtime girlfriend. He was arrested in Vladivostok, a major Pacific military and trading port in Russia’s Far East, and charged with theft.

According to RIA Novosti, citing local police, Black admitted his guilt and is cooperating with investigators.

Black’s arrest further complicates relations between the United States and Russia, which have become increasingly strained as the war in Ukraine drags on.

Russia is known to hold a number of Americans in its prisons, including corporate security executive Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. The U.S. government designated both men as wrongfully detained and attempted to negotiate their release.

Other detainees include Travis Leake, a musician who had lived in Russia for years and was arrested last year on drug charges; Marc Fogel, teacher in Moscow, sentenced to 14 years in prison, also for drug trafficking; and double nationals Alsou Kurmasheva and Ksenia Khavana.