US Soldier Sentenced to Jail in Russia for Theft and Threatening Girlfriend

A Russian court in Vladivostok has handed down a three-year and nine-month jail sentence to US soldier Staff Sgt Gordon Black on charges of theft and threatening to kill his girlfriend, according to state news agencies. The court found Sgt Black guilty of stealing 10,000 roubles (£89) from his girlfriend, although he pleaded not guilty to the murder threat charges. The soldier, who was arrested in May, admitted partial guilt for the theft. He intends to appeal the verdict, as reported by state news agencies.

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of four years and eight months, while the defence requested Sgt Black’s acquittal. The 34-year-old soldier had met his girlfriend while stationed in South Korea. Sgt Black enlisted as an infantryman in 2008 and served in Iraq in 2009 and Afghanistan in 2013. He was most recently assigned to the Eighth Army, US Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys.

US officials confirmed that Sgt Black did not seek official clearance for his travel to Russia or China, where he had visited before arriving in Russia. However, there is no evidence to suggest that he intended to remain in Russia. It is worth noting that Russia currently holds other Americans in custody, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been in jail since March 2023, and former US Marine Paul Whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020. Both Gershkovich and Whelan maintain their innocence, and the US government has denounced the charges against them as baseless.