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A U.S. Army soldier did not have permission to visit Russia when he flew there last week from his duty station in South Korea. Now Staff Sgt. Gordon C. Black is being held by Russian authorities in Vladivostok, a major Pacific port city near the border with China and North Korea, on charges of criminal misconduct.
Sgt. Black had been assigned to the U.S. Eighth Army at Camp Humphreys, about 50 miles of Seoul, Army officials said. He signed out on April 10 and was preparing to transfer to Fort Cavazos, Texas, formerly known as Fort Hood.
“Instead of returning to the continental United States, Black flew from Inchon, Republic of Korea, through China to Vladivostok, Russia, for personal reasons,” Army officials said Tuesday in a statement.
U.S. officials did not offer details about the soldier’s “personal reasons,” but NBC News reported that the sergeant stopped in Vladivostok to meet a woman with whom he was romantically involved.
Army officials said Sgt. Black did not request official clearance to go to China or Russia. Travel there by military personnel is currently restricted under Defense Department regulations.
“There is no evidence Black intended to remain in Russia after his … leave period ended,” the Army said.
He was detained on May 2, after which the Russian Federation notified the State Department. Sgt. Black is being provided with “appropriate consular support.” His family has been notified about the detention, officials said.
On Tuesday, TASS, the state-owned Russian news agency, said the case against Sgt. Black is not linked to allegations of “espionage or politics.”
“As far as we understand, a household crime [is suspected] in this case,” TASS reported.”That is why the Russian Foreign Ministry in Vladivostok is not following the case of the U.S. citizen closely.”
Sgt. Black enlisted in the Army in 2008. He joined the infantry and deployed to Iraq from October 2009 through Sept. 2010 and Afghanistan from June 2013 until March 2014.
Sgt. Black‘s arrest comes almost a year after U.S. Army Pvt. Travis King crossed over into North Korea while on a civilian tour of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. He was facing a dishonorable discharge on a variety of charges when he fled to North Korea on July 18, 2023. He was released back to U.S. authorities in September of that year.
Sgt. Black is the latest high-profile American to find himself in custody in Russia. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested in March 2023 and charged with espionage. Former Marine Paul Handler was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years behind bars for espionage. Both men denied they were spying on Russia.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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