MOSOCW: A US soldier arrested in Russia’s far eastern city of Vladivostok on charges of stealing lost an appeal against his detention and will remain in custody.
The soldier, identified by court officials as Gordon Black, will remain in custody at least until July 2, after the Primorsky Regional Court upheld the lower court’s judgement to place Black in custody pending investigation and trial, according to Russian media.
Several US officials said earlier this month that Black, a 34-year-old staff sergeant, was stationed in South Korea and was being returning home to Fort Cavazos in Texas. Instead, authorities said that Black, who is married, traveled to Russia to see a longtime girlfriend. He was arrested in Vladivostok, a major military and commercial Pacific port in Russia’s Far East, and accused of stealing from her.
RIA Novosti said, citing local police, that the officer has admitted guilt and is cooperating with investigators.
Black’s arrest further complicates US ties with Russia, which have grown increasingly tense as the war in Ukraine drags on.
Russia is known to be holding a number of US nationals in its jails, including corporate security executive Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. Washington has designated both as wrongfully detained and has been trying to negotiate for their release.
Other US Nationals in Russian Jails
Others detained include Travis Leake, a musician who had been residing in Russia for years and was arrested in 2023 on drug-related accusations; Marc Fogel, a teacher in Moscow, who was sentenced to fourteen years in prison, also on drug charges; and dual nationals Alsu Kurmasheva and Ksenia Khavana.
