.-') _ .-') _ | |
( OO ) ) ( OO ) ) | |
.-----. ,--./ ,--,' ,--./ ,--,' | |
' .--./ | \ | |\ | \ | |\ | |
| |('-. | \| | )| \| | ) | |
/_) |OO )| . |/ | . |/ | |
|| |`-'| | |\ | | |\ | | |
(_' '--'\ | | \ | | | \ | | |
`-----' `--' `--' `--' `--' | |
lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial | |
ARTICLE VIEW: | |
US soldier was arrested in Russia last week | |
By Natasha Bertrand and Oren Liebermann, CNN | |
Updated: | |
4:59 PM EDT, Mon May 6, 2024 | |
Source: CNN | |
An American soldier was detained in Russia last week on suspicion of | |
theft and is currently being held in pre-trial detention, according to | |
two US officials. | |
The soldier’s name is Gordon Black, according to one of the | |
officials. The US Army would not confirm the soldier’s name but noted | |
their family has been notified. | |
The soldier, a staff sergeant, was arrested on May 2 by Russian | |
authorities, the officials said. He was stationed in South Korea and | |
traveled to Russia of his own volition, the officials said. | |
An Army spokesperson confirmed on Monday that the soldier was detained | |
by Russian authorities in Vladivostok “on charges of criminal | |
misconduct.” | |
“The Russian Federation notified the U.S. Department of State of the | |
criminal detention in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular | |
Relations,” said spokesperson Cynthia Smith. “The Army notified his | |
family and the U.S. Department of State is providing appropriate | |
consular support to the Soldier in Russia. Given the sensitivity of | |
this matter, we are unable to provide additional details at this | |
time.” | |
The arrest comes at time of huge tension between the US and Russia as | |
the continues. There are a number of Americans being held in Russia, | |
including two who have been declared as wrongfully detained by the US | |
State Department – Wall Street Journal reporter and former Marine . | |
The soldier was stationed in South Korea when he took leave to travel | |
to Russia on his own, according to another US official. He was not | |
AWOL, or absent without leave, at the time of the trip, the source | |
said. | |
He was then set to move to Ft. Cavazos in Texas in the future, the | |
official said, but was unable to provide a specific date for the change | |
of station. | |
NBC News was the arrest. | |
A State Department official confirmed that a US citizen had been | |
detained in Russia but would not provide further details. | |
“We have no higher priority than the safety and security of US | |
citizens overseas,” the spokesperson said. | |
The US Embassy in Moscow is seeking consular access to the soldier, the | |
officials said. | |
The US has repeatedly warned American citizens not to travel to Russia. | |
In February, after the arrest of dual Russian-American citizen , the | |
strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council | |
John Kirby reiterated the warning about the “danger posed to US | |
citizens inside Russia.” | |
“It goes without saying, if you’re a US citizen or you have a US | |
passport, and you haven’t traveled to Russia but you’re considering | |
going, we obviously urge you not to do that,” Kirby said. | |
Last July, another soldier stationed in South Korea willingly crossed | |
into North Korea where he was immediately detained. had been on a | |
border tour of a civilian area when he ran across the Joint Security | |
Area (JSA) and into North Korea. | |
King was supposed to have boarded a flight back to the United States to | |
face disciplinary procedures. But after Army escorts released him at a | |
security checkpoint at Incheon International Airport near Seoul, King | |
left the airport on his own. | |
It took weeks of secretive and intense diplomacy involving multiple | |
countries to secure King’s release in September. He was charged with | |
desertion in October. | |
This story is breaking and will be updated. | |
<- back to index |