A U.S. soldier has been arrested in Russia on criminal misconduct charges, the Army said

A view of the bridge connecting Russky Island and Vladivostok in Russia’s far east, August 26, 2023. An American soldier was arrested in Russia and accused of theft. (Alexander Khitrov/AP)

A U.S. soldier has been arrested by Russian authorities on criminal misconduct charges, the Army confirmed Monday.

The soldier was arrested on Thursday in Vladivostok, a port city in the Pacific, and remains in custody. Gordon Black, 34, was stationed in South Korea and was on his way to Fort Cavazos, Texas, according to two defense officials.

Instead, officials told the Associated Press that Black, who is married, traveled to Russia to meet his longtime girlfriend. The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel details.

According to those officials, the Russian woman had been living in South Korea and last fall she and Black got into some sort of domestic dispute or altercation. She then left South Korea. It is not clear whether she was forced to leave and what role Korean authorities played in the matter.

Officers said Black was being held on charges of stealing from the woman, according to the AP.

Black, an infantry soldier, did not tell his unit that he was going to Russia and was not given permission to travel there, according to officials cited by the AP.

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

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a post shared on X that he was “deeply concerned” about reports that a soldier was captured in Russia.

“Putin has a long history of taking American citizens hostage. A warning to all Americans – as the State Department has said, it is not safe to travel to Russia,” McCaul said.

Army officials declined to provide further information.

The soldier is not the only American imprisoned in Russia. The US government has said that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested in March 2023, and Marine veteran Paul Whelan, arrested in 2018, were unjustly imprisoned in the country.

The arrest comes less than a year after Army Pvt. Travis King was taken into custody by North Korea. He was stationed in South Korea and ran into the country during a group tour through the heavily guarded Joint Security Area, where King was immediately arrested. He was sent back to the United States in September and charged with desertion in October.