A US soldier who was detained in Russia last week on suspicion of theft reportedly did not receive permission from the Department of Defense to travel to the country.
US Army Staff Sergeant Gordon D. Black, 35, was arrested in Vladivostok, near the Russia-North Korea border on May 2 after allegedly stealing from a woman, said Pentagon officials.
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It was initially unclear how Black got to Russia with US officials investigating how he ended up there.
Black was stationed in South Korea and didn’t request official clearance to leave his unit, said Army spokesperson Cynthia Smith.
“The Russian Federation notified the US Department of State of the criminal detention in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations,” Smith said.
“The Army notified his family and the US Department of State is providing appropriate consular support to the soldier in Russia.”
His mother, Melody Jones, said her son was on a two-week leave to visit his girlfriend.
“I told him I was really uncomfortable,” Jones told ABC News.
“I had a bad feeling about him going, but he went anyway.”
Jones said that when her son arrived in Russia, he was questioned by officials for several hours.
“He said he was when he got off the plane, that he was pulled to the back in this room for nine hours and questioned why he was there,” she said.
Jones said she wasn’t aware if Black had a visa to visit Russia.
“I knew something was going to happen,” she said, adding that she had been critical of Black’s relationship with his girlfriend.
The two met at a South Korean club over a year ago, said Jones.
However, his girlfriend was deported to Russia after they got into a dispute in 2023.
Since Black’s arrest, Jones said she has been worried for her son.
“I cry at night. I’m hoping he’s not being tortured or hurt,” she told the outlet.
“It’s just hard being a mom and being in that situation. Not being able to touch him, you know? Hug him and tell him it will be OK.”
Black’s arrest is the latest suspected criminal encounter involving US nationals in Russia.
SOCIAL MEDIA TRAIL
Russian authorities found glimpses of Black’s life with his girlfriend, Aleksandra Vashchuk, 31, through their social media presence.
In her videos, Vashchuk referred to Black as her husband.
Most of the videos were taken of the couple in 2022 and 2023 while they were in South Korea, where Vashchuk lived for more than five years.
In a clip posted to Vashchuk’s TikTok account – which has since been made private – Black is seen wearing his military fatigues with his name visible.
Another video shows the couple partying at a bar while Vashchuk teaches Black several curse words in Russian.
It’s unclear at this time if Vashchuk is the woman Black was accused of stealing from.
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