During a court session in Vladivostok on Monday, a US soldier detained in Russia admitted partial guilt to theft charges while refuting allegations of threatening a Russian woman with murder.
Gordon Black, aged 34, was taken into custody in early May in Vladivostok, where he had traveled to visit a Russian woman he had met and dated while stationed in South Korea. He joins the list of American citizens currently detained in Russia.
The woman, identified in Russian media as Alexandra Vashuk, reported Black to the police following a dispute, resulting in his arrest.
In media reports, Black stated that he acknowledges partial responsibility for the theft but maintains that it was not premeditated. He refuted the accusation of threatening Vashuk with murder.
Vashuk accused Black of stealing around 10,000 rubles (approximately 100 euros) and claimed he had also physically assaulted her.
Black explained that the altercation arose after Vashuk had been drinking.
The soldier mentioned that they had met in October 2022 through the dating app Tinder in South Korea and had a relationship there. Vashuk later invited him to Vladivostok.
Black clarified that he had not intended to keep the money and planned to return it, citing difficulties accessing his funds in a US bank account while in Russia.
If convicted, the charges could lead to a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Black has remained in pre-trial detention since his arrest in May.
AFP.