The American soldier accused of theft in Russia caused “significant” damage, Russian justice claims / Pentagon: He violated military rules

The American soldier Gordon Black, who is under arrest in the Russian city of Vladivostok at least until July 2, was officially accused of theft likely to cause significant damage, according to the decision of the Russian court, Reuters reports, News.ro transmits.

The Pervomaiski District Court in Vladivostok stated in a statement that it decided on the preventive measure of Black’s detention until July 2 for “theft of the property of citizen T., causing significant damage to the latter.”

“When he chose the preventive measure in the form of detention, the court came to the conclusion that the American citizen B. (Black) – targeted by the charges – could hide from the preliminary investigation authorities and the court, in order to evade liability”, the court stated in the statement.

Earlier, the press service of the court had identified the soldier as Gordon Black.

The American was detained at the beginning of May in Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East.

The detention of Gordon Black, who the Pentagon says went to Russia without authorization, represents another diplomatic headache for the United States, which has warned American citizens about traveling to Russia.

A DAMAGING LOVE

Russia’s Interior Ministry in Vladivostok said on Tuesday that a 32-year-old woman had filed a complaint against the 34-year-old suspect. The two had met in South Korea, where the American is based and the Russian worked. The two started a relationship. The American then came to Vladivostok to visit her, the two argued, and later she filed a complaint with the police accusing him of stealing money, the ministry said. He was arrested in a local hotel after buying a plane ticket to return home.

Details of Gordon Black’s risky behavior began to emerge on Tuesday, which saw the 34-year-old US Army staff sergeant run into trouble after following his girlfriend to Russia in while on leave. The Pentagon said Tuesday that, before his arrest in Russia, Black not only violated military rules by traveling to the Russian city of Vladivostok without authorization, but did so after passing through China.

The American’s mother, however, is convinced that the Russian girlfriend staged everything for her son.

Black joined the Army as an infantryman in 2008 and was stationed at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. He was to return to Fort Cavazos in Texas, the US military said in a statement.

“Instead of returning to the United States, Black flew from Incheon, Republic of Korea, via China, to Vladivostok, Russia, for personal reasons,” the military added.

The Pentagon also said there was no evidence Black planned to stay in Russia after the leave ended.

Black’s mother, Melody Jones, told ABC News that she had a talk with her son before he left and even told him that she didn’t approve of him going to Russia, but he went anyway. “I knew something would happen. I felt that she gave him a run,” said Melody Jones.

Black’s case is the latest headache for the US military. Another American soldier, Travis King, was detained in North Korea for more than two months, after in July 2023 he crossed the heavily militarized border that separates the Korean peninsula by surprise. King has since returned to the United States.

The U.S. military said the Russian Interior Ministry informed the U.S. Embassy in Moscow on May 3 that Black had been arrested in Vladivostok the day before for “theft of personal property.” Black, who has been deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, is currently in a Russian detention center, the military said. “He will remain in detention until the next hearing, awaiting a decision,” she added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that this case had no political element and that there were no allegations of espionage.

Separately, Moscow’s judicial service said on Tuesday that a court had remanded another US citizen, William Russell Nycum, for 10 days for “petty hooliganism”.