In recent days a US soldier was arrested in Russia, in circumstances that are still unclear. The news of the arrest was initially reported on Monday by several newspapers, and then confirmed by the US government. The soldier’s name is Gordon Black, and before his arrest he was stationed in South Korea. He was arrested on May 2 in the Russian city of Vladivostok, which is located about a hundred kilometers from the border with North Korea.
According to what some US government officials reported anonymously to several newspapers, Black had gone to Russia in the previous days on a personal trip, and was arrested on an unspecified charge of theft from a woman. US national security spokesman John Kirby said he was aware of the facts, but did not provide further details. In Russia there are several US citizens under arrest, including above all Paul Whelan, a former marine arrested in 2018 for alleged espionage, and Evan Gershkovich, a journalist Wall Street Journal arrested in March 2023 on espionage charges deemed false and specious by many countries and independent observers.