US soldier in Russian detention didn't request approval for trip to Russia: Army spokesperson

Washington, May 8: A US soldier, held in Russia for alleged theft, did not request official clearance for his trip to Russia, an Army spokesperson said, noting he is currently in a pretrial detention facility.

Cynthia Smith, the spokesperson, made the remarks as Staff Sgt. Gordon Black was arrested on charges of stealing personal property in the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok on Thursday, Yonhap news agency reported.

Black was most recently assigned to the Eighth US Army at Camp Humphreys in South Korea, Smith confirmed. On April 10, he was issued a permanent change of station (PCS) leave for reassignment to Fort Cavazos, Texas, but flew from Incheon, west of Seoul, to Vladivostok via China for personal reasons.

"Black did not request official clearance, and DoD did not authorise his travel to China and Russia. Official and leave travel is currently restricted pursuant to the DoD Foreign Clearance Guide," Smith said in a statement. DoD means the Department of Defense.

"There is no evidence Black intended to remain in Russia after his PCS leave period ended," she added.

On Friday, a Russian foreign ministry official informed the US Embassy in Moscow that Black was arrested. He will remain in detention until his next hearing pending determination, according to Smith.

The soldier's detention comes as relations between Washington and Moscow have been frayed due to Russia's war against Ukraine and other issues.

Black enlisted in the US Army as an Infantryman in 2008. He was deployed to Iraq from October 2009 through September 2010 and to Afghanistan from June 2013 until March 2014.