US soldier arrested in Russia to be detained for 2 months

A Russian district court in Vladivostok has ruled that Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, an American soldier suspected of theft, will remain in detention for two months until July 2nd, according to a statement from the Pervomaisky District Court.
Black stands accused of clandestine theft of a citizen’s property, allegedly causing significant psychological harm to the individual, as stated by the court.
Army spokesperson Cynthia Smith clarified that Black had not received authorization from the Defense Department to travel to Russia and had not sought official clearance before departing from his unit in South Korea nearly a month ago. He had completed his out-processing from Eighth Army, US Forces Korea on April 10th and was scheduled to relocate to Fort Cavazos, Texas. However, he chose to travel from South Korea, through China, to Vladivostok, Russia, for personal reasons.
The Russian Foreign Ministry representative informed Russian state media TASS that the case is unrelated to political matters or espionage and is being treated as a domestic crime. Consequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vladivostok stated that they are not closely monitoring the situation of the American citizen.
This arrest occurs amidst heightened tensions between the US and Russia, particularly in light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Notably, there are other Americans detained in Russia, including individuals declared wrongfully detained by the US State Department, such as Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.
In a prior video, Black expressed understanding of Russia’s stance on US-Russian relations, acknowledging what he perceived as NATO’s assertiveness. However, it’s uncertain when the video was recorded relative to his detention.