Arrested U.S. soldier was in Russia to pursue girlfriend

The American soldier, Gordon Black, seemed smitten with the Russian woman he met while stationed until last month in South Korea. She poked fun at him, called him her “husband,” prompted him to swear in Russian. Then, last fall, she returned to the Far Eastern Russian city of Vladivostok without him.

The woman, Alexandra Vashchuk, even photoshopped him out of a picture with her.

But when the lovestruck 34-year-old Army staff sergeant followed her to Russia — without notifying his commanders or getting permission — he landed in jail. He is charged with stealing from her, was ordered held until July 2 and faces up to five years in prison.

Black, 34, is married but going through a divorce, family members told The Washington Post. He was supposed to be on leave, returning to Fort Cavazos in Texas. Instead, he traveled to Vladivostok last month to see his girlfriend, they said.

Russian media reported that he flew there last month. The State Department has warned Americans against traveling to Russia, and the Pentagon has barred military personnel from traveling to the country.

Details of Black’s murky love affair with Vashchuk, 31, were uncovered by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Mark Krutov, who traced her TikTok account, which has since been made private.

In one video, the staff sergeant stands in his uniform looking at Vashchuk with doe-eyed incomprehension as she speaks in Russian, using a derogatory term for an American. “I came home, and there was this pindos,” she said. “That’s funny. Who are you? Who are you, man?”

Black takes a step, leans over and smooches her phone screen.

“Oh God! Also funny, this chevron right here,” she says, touching the military patch on his shoulder. “It says KATUSA. You’re not a saboteur by chance?”

The Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) is a training academy of the 8th Army in South Korea.

On Friday, Black faced the Pervomaisky district court in Vladivostok, charged with “theft causing significant damage.” He was ordered jailed until at least July 2, pending trial.

Russian courts often prolong pretrial detention periods. For example, American journalist Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal, who was arrested while on assignment in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg last year and charged with spying, has been jailed in Lefortovo high-security prison for more than a year. Gershkovich, his employer and U.S. officials vehemently deny the charges against him. But Russian courts have repeatedly prolonged his detention and denied his appeals to be released.

Black’s arrest potentially complicates difficult back-channel negotiations between Washington and Moscow over the release of Americans held by Russia. Western officials have cited a growing Russian practice of hostage diplomacy — imprisoning Americans as bargaining chips to be used in prisoner exchanges.

The relationship vibe between Black and his Russian paramour seemed odd, according to social media videos.