A Russian court confirmed Tuesday that a U.S. soldier would be held in custody for at least two months after he was arrested on theft charges.
“Pervomaisky District Court in Vladivostok arrested American soldier Gordon Black until July 2 under the ‘theft‘ article” of Russia’s criminal code, court spokeswoman Elena Oleneva said in a statement.
Black, a Staff Sgt., was detained in Russia last week and will be held in pre-trial detention, the court said in a separate statement, referring only to “U.S. citizen B.”
The court said Black was charged with “secretly stealing property” of a person referred to as “citizen T,” adding that this had caused the alleged victim “significant damage.”
His detention was to prevent him evading charges, the court said.
“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,” the statement said.
NBC News revealed Monday that the soldier was detained after traveling from where he was stationed in South Korea to the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok.
He was traveling home to the U.S. and stopped in Russia to meet a woman he was romantically involved with, officials said.
Black was detained on Thursday, a U.S. Army spokesperson said Monday.
State news agency TASS reported Tuesday that the Russian Foreign Ministry’s office in Vladivostok said his detention had nothing to do with politics.
“This case has no relation to politics or espionage. 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 U.S. citizen closely,” the mission said, according to TASS.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said Monday he was “deeply concerned” by the news. He said on X that the detention was “A warning to all Americans—as the State Department has said, it is not safe to travel to Russia.”
Current travel guidance from the U.S. State Department advises against all travel to Russia.
There are several other Americans held in Russian prisons, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was jailed last March, and former Marine Paul Whelan, who was arrested in 2018. The U.S. government has said both are wrongfully detained.
The Associated Press reported that the arrest of U.S. citizens in Russia has reached Cold War levels.
