US soldier arrested in Russia last week: Army

A US soldier was arrested in Russia last week, the army confirmed on Monday.

The soldier, an unidentified male staff sergeant stationed in South Korea, traveled to Russia on his own, three U.S. officials told NBC News, which first reported the arrest.

Cynthia O. Smith, an Army spokeswoman, told The Daily Beast that the soldier was arrested Thursday in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok on charges of criminal misconduct.

“The Russian Federation has notified the U.S. Department of State of criminal detention in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations,” Smith said. “The Army has notified his family and the U.S. State Department is providing appropriate consular assistance to the soldier in Russia.

“Given the sensitivity of this matter, we cannot provide further details at this time,” she added.

When asked about the NBC report, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the White House was “aware of this case,” according to Agence France-Presse.

The Daily Beast has contacted the U.S. Army for more information.

The exact number of Americans imprisoned in Russia is unclear, but two of the most well-known cases are those of Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich.

Whelan, a former US Marine accused of espionage, has been imprisoned for more than five years and was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020. Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal Reporter, was arrested last March and also accused of espionage.

The US believes both men were wrongfully imprisoned.

In February 2022, WNBA player Brittney Griner was arrested on a flight to Russia after customs officials found two e-cigarette cartridges containing less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage. Although she was sentenced to nine years in prison on what was widely viewed as a trumped-up drug smuggling charge, Griner was released through a prisoner exchange ten months after her arrest.

A book about the experience Return homehits shelves on Tuesday.