US soldier arrested in Russia. Russian girlfriend Sasha accuses him of “beating” her and “stole 2,000 euros”

A US Army soldier has been detained in Russia for theft. Gordon Black is 34 years old and served at an American military base in South Korea. He was supposed to return to Texas to continue his work, but decided to stop by Vladivostok to see his girlfriend, a Russian girl named Sasha whom he met in South Korea a few years ago and recently returned in Russia. The two argued in mid-April and the young woman claims that she was beaten and robbed by the American sergeant who allegedly stole 200,000 rubles, around 2,000 euros. Gordon Black was detained on May 2 and taken to a local detention center.

By the Observator editorial team on 05.07.2024, 12:42

The American soldier detained last week in the Russian Far East was arrested for “theft” and placed in detention until July 2, the Vladivostok court in charge of this case announced on Tuesday.

“The Pervomaiskii district court in Vladivostok arrested the American soldier Gordon Black until July 2, by virtue of the article for ‘theft'”, announced the spokeswoman of the court, Elena Oleneva, quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency. The American soldier faces up to five years in prison, according to the Russian criminal code.

The Baza Telegram channel, close to the Russian security forces, as well as the daily newspaper Izvestia, explained that the American soldier visited his Russian girlfriend in Vladivostok, whom he “beat” and “stole from her 200,000 rubles (about 2,000 of euros) and alcohol.” “This file is not related to politics or espionage,” the representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vladivostok assured on Tuesday.

The White House is “aware” of the situation

On Monday, a spokeswoman for the US Army, Cynthia Smith, said that the soldier, who was stationed in South Korea, according to American media, was arrested “on the charge of a criminal offense”, but without being able to “provide more details for now”. The White House announced for its part that it is “aware” of the situation.

In recent years, several American citizens have been arrested and sentenced to heavy prison terms in Russia. Washington, which has been supporting Ukraine militarily and financially for over two years against the Russian army, accuses Moscow of wanting to exchange them for Russians detained in the US.

Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter who also previously worked for AFP in Moscow, was arrested by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) during a report in Yekaterinburg, Ural, in March 2023. He is accused of espionage, a crime punishable by 20 years in prison, a punishment of unprecedented severity after the collapse of the Soviet Union to a foreign journalist.

Gershkovich denies these accusations, as do the US, the WSJ publication, his associates and his family. Russia has never publicly presented evidence and the entire procedure has been classified as secret. Vladimir Putin seemed to confirm in February the information according to which Russia wants the release of an FSB assassin Vadim Krasikov in exchange for the American journalist Evan Gershkovich.

A Russian-American journalist, Alsu Kurmasheva, who worked for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), has been in detention since October 2023 for failing to register as a “foreign agent” as required by the authorities Russian