Army Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, stationed in South Korea, was arrested in Vladivostok, Russia, on May 2, 2024, facing charges of beating a woman and stealing money. Black is currently in a pretrial detention facility until his next hearing.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secrearty Sabrina Singh provided an update on Tuesday regarding U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, who was detained in Russia on May 2, 2024.
Black enlisted in the Army as an infantryman in 2008 and was most recently assigned to the Eighth Army U.S. Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys in the Republic of South Korea. He signed out of his permanent change of station on April 10 to return home to Texas. However, instead, he traveled to Russia for personal reasons.
Black is currently in a pretrial detention facility and will remain there until his next hearing, though the date of that hearing is unknown.
सिंह confirmed that the Army has opened an administrative investigation to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding Black's travel, including potential consequences for his actions.
Black's mother, Melody Jones, expressed concerns to ABC's "Good Morning America" that her son may have been "set up" by his girlfriend. She described their relationship as "volatile" and suspected the girlfriend might be a spy. She urged her son not to travel to Russia before his scheduled return to the U.S.
According to "GMA," Black faces charges of beating a woman and stealing money from her, based on information from Russian television reports.
Black served in Iraq from October 2009 to September 2010 and in Afghanistan from June 2013 to March 2014. Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith emphasized that Black did not request or receive authorization to visit Russia.
Currently, several other Americans, aside from Black, remain detained in Russia. These include William Nycum, who was arrested for breaking into a children's library; Paul Whelan, convicted of espionage; Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, also charged with espionage; Travis Leake, arrested on drug-related charges; Marc Fogel, sentenced to 14 years for drug possession; and dual nationals Alsu Kurmasheva and Ksenia Khavana.
The U.S. State Department strongly advises against travel to Russia and recommends those currently in Russia to leave. The U.S. government has designated Whelan and Gershkovich as wrongfully detained and continues negotiations for their release.
