US soldier accused of theft inflicting “significant” damage is found guilty by a Russian court

According to a Russian court, American soldier Gordon Black, who is being held in the Russian city of Vladivostok until July 2, has been accused of stealing something that will cause substantial harm.

The incarceration of Black, who the Pentagon claims entered Russia without permission, causes the US government, which has advised US citizens not to travel to Russia at all, more diplomatic problems.

Early in May, he was taken into custody in Vladivostok, in the Far East of Russia.

According to a statement from the Pervomaisky District Court of Vladivostok, Black was placed under preventive custody until July 2 for “secretly stealing the property of citizen T., causing the latter significant damage.”

“When choosing the preventive measure in the form of detention, the court came to the conclusion that US citizen B. (Black) – under the weight of the charges – could hide from the preliminary investigation authorities and the court to avoid responsibility,” the statement read.

The soldier’s identity was previously confirmed by the court’s press office as Gordon Black.

A complaint against the 34-year-old suspect was submitted by a 32-year-old lady, the Russian interior ministry in Vladivostok announced on Tuesday.

They had crossed paths in South Korea. After a disagreement between the two when the American visited Vladivostok, she filed a police report accusing him of stealing money. Having purchased an airline ticket to return home, he was apprehended in a nearby hotel.

The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that Black had crossed through China before traveling to the Russian city of Vladivostok without permission, in violation of Army regulations, prior to his apprehension in Russia.