The trial of an American soldier who was taken into custody earlier this year on theft-related accusations got underway on Thursday in Vladivostok, a city in far eastern Russia.
According to Russian and American officials, Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, was detained after visiting his girlfriend in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, where she had accused him of stealing from her. If found guilty, he may spend up to five years in prison.
From the Pervomaisky District Court in Vladivostok, Black consented to testify in the trial and will address the charges against him at a later stage of the proceedings, according to a report from the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. Local police were also quoted in the news as stating that Black is assisting the authorities.
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U.S. relations with Russia have been strained due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and this has been made worse by Black’s detention.
Paul Whelan, a corporate security officer, and Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal writer, are among the Americans detainedThe US government has declared both of them to be unlawfully detained and has been engaged in negotiations to secure their release.eir release.
Other people in custody include dual nationals Alsu Kurmasheva and Ksenia Khavana; Marc Fogel, a Moscow instructor condemned to 14 years in prison on drug-related charges; and artist Travis Leake, who had been living in Russia for years.
