Staff Sergeant Gordon Black, an American soldier incarcerated in the Russian city of Vladivostok, has pleaded guilty to larceny charges and is currently assisting investigators, according to state-run news outlets in Russia on Thursday.
According to the RIA news agency, a representative of the local interior ministry stated, “He has acknowledged guilt; he is cooperating.”
The accuracy of the information reported by CBS News is compromised by their absence of access to the contact details of Russian lawyers who represent black individuals.
In a file photo obtained through social media, Gordon Black, an American soldier who is currently in custody in Russia, is observed taking a selfie.
On May 2, Black was apprehended in Vladivostok on suspicion of stealing from a woman with whom he was romantically involved.. He is required to remain in custody until July 2 in accordance with a court order.
Black was stationed in Korea during his unofficial travel to Russia, according to Pentagon officials who spoke with CBS News. He was in the midst of relocating to Fort Cavazos, which was previously known as Fort Hood, in the United States.
“The soldier’s mother, Melody Jones, stated that her son was in Russia to visit his fiancée.” Jones responded, “Please refrain from tormenting or endangering him when questioned about her message to the Russians.”
Earlier this month, John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, informed reporters that the United States was “aware of this matter” but was “at this time, unable to comment further.”
The U.S. government has repeatedly advised Americans against traveling to Russia, citing “the potential for harassment and the singling out of U.S. citizens for detention by Russian government security officials,” among other concerns.
The Biden administration has been making a concerted effort to secure the release of two additional American nationals who are currently being held in contempt of Russian authorities. Former Marine Paul Whelan has been detained since 2018 on espionage allegations that the United States and his family maintain are entirely unfounded. He was sentenced to 16 years in a penitentiary in 2020.
The Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent, was incarcerated in March 2023 on espionage charges that his family, the newspaper, and the United States government all deny. His trial is still pending.
In December, the State Department reported that Russia denied a “substantial” proposal for the release of both individuals.
The United States Embassy in Moscow was “restricted” in its ability to provide assistance to American nationals in Russia, as indicated by a revised travel advisory that was released in September.”
Nikum William Russell, a U.S. citizen who identified himself as Russian, was sentenced to ten days in prison for “petty hooliganism” in a separate incident. The court determined that Russell had passed out semi-naked after stumbling into a children’s library in Moscow while intoxicated.
