The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Tuesday the arrest of an American soldier, identified by multiple news agencies as Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, in Vladivostok, stating that he faces charges of “household crime” and is not suspected of being a spy.
“The case has no relation to politics or espionage,” the Foreign Ministry office in Vladivostok told the Russian news agency Tass.
The office stated that the Foreign Ministry had little interest in the case because it did not seem to involve Russia’s national security.
“As far as we understand, a household crime [is suspected] in this case. That is why the Russian Foreign Ministry’s mission in Vladivostok is not following the case of the US citizen closely,” Tass quoted the ministry as saying.
Despite the alleged nature of the alleged crime not being geopolitical, the Russian government confirmed on Tuesday that Black would remain in police custody until at least July 2 as the courts process his case. Moscow also confirmed the identity of the soldier and claimed that his alleged crime caused “significant damage” to a Russian citizen.
“The court came to the conclusion that U.S. citizen B., under the weight of the charges, in order to avoid responsibility, could hide from the preliminary investigation authorities and the court, thereby preventing the proceedings in the case,” a court statement read, according to NBC News.
Reports surfaced on Monday that Russian authorities had detained an American soldier, later identified as Black, on May 2. A spokesperson for the U.S. Army, Cynthia O. Smith, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Monday to NBC news, stating that he faced charges of “criminal misconduct” but offering few other details.
“The Russian Federation notified the U.S. Department of State of the criminal detention in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations,” Smith’s statement read. “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.”
NBC’s report, echoed by Tass, stated that Black was stationed in South Korea and chose independently to travel to Russia, potentially to meet with a woman. The charges he face reportedly stem from accusations that he stole from a woman; it is unclear at press time if the alleged victim is the same woman he was reportedly visiting.
Other news agencies, including the Associated Press, later reported that Black is married and was preparing to end his time in South Korea and travel back to Texas when he abruptly chose to travel to Vladivostok, a little less than 500 miles from Seoul. The motives for his visit to Russia were allegedly romantic, though neither the Russian nor American governments have confirmed that report.
NBC News reported that Black traveled to Vladivostok without permission, suggesting but not confirming a potential violation of his duties as a soldier.
The situation immediately before Black’s arrest echoes an incident with an American soldier last year, Travis King, who disappeared from South Korea’s Incheon Airport on July 18 and abruptly ran into North Korea. King was also en route to Texas when he fled north and was immediately detained for illegal migration. King spent about two months in North Korea before the communist country, one of Russia’s closest allies, deported him back to America.
In October, reports surfaced that King is facing at least eight criminal charges in the United States, including assault and solicitation of child pornography charges.
Russia and America are geopolitical rivals whose relationship has deteriorated significantly since Russian strongman Vladimir Putin chose to launch a full-scale invasion against neighboring Ukraine, a cause that leftist American President Joe Biden has made a priority of his administration’s. The United States currently does not have an ambassador in Moscow, Tass noted on Tuesday, as Ambassador Lynne Tracy is on a “pre-scheduled leave,” complicating bilateral communication further.
Speaking to the Russian network Channel One, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov complained of the lack of communication with Washington on Tuesday.
“We have a minimal dialogue with the United States in general, and specifically on this issue (strategic stability – TASS) we episodically exchange opinions on fragmentary aspects,” Ryabkov was quoted as saying. “This takes place purely at the working level, mainly through the use of the embassy channel … It’s not like it used to be.”
The State Department confirmed in a statement on online site Newsweek that diplomats are nonetheless attempting to clarify the situation regarding Staff Sgt. Black.
“A U.S. citizen has been detained in Russia. When a U.S. citizen is detained abroad, consular officers seek to aid him or her with all appropriate assistance. We take seriously our commitment to assist U.S. citizens abroad and provide all appropriate assistance,” the statement read. “We have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas.”
The State Department warned Americans to avoid traveling to Russia and urged those already there to “depart immediately.”
Russia has taken several American citizens hostage, in some cases using them as diplomatic leverage. The most high-profile case currently ongoing is that of Wall Street Journal reported Evan Gershkovich, imprisoned on vague “espionage” charges in March 2023. Moscow has yet to present any evidence against Gerschkovich or give him a day in court, outraging human rights defenders and journalists around the world.
Another American, Paul Whelan, has languished in a Russian prison for six years and is serving a 16-year sentence on similarly unclear “espionage” charges. In occasional remarks to the press, Whelan has lamented that Washington has “abandoned” him.
Tass confirmed the arrest of another American citizen, a man identified as Nycum William Russell, on Tuesday. The Russian news outlet reported only that the man was charge with “petty hooliganism” and had already received an “administrative penalty.”
“According to the REN-TV channel, the man was sentenced to a ten-day administrative arrest after being detained in a children’s library in the state of intoxication,” Tass claimed.
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