US soldier arrested in Russia and accused of stealing from girlfriend, US officials say

WASHINGTON (AP) A U.S. soldier visiting a girlfriend in the Russian port city of Vladivostok has been arrested on theft charges and remains in custody, according to several U.S. officials.

U.S. officials said Monday that the soldier, Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, was stationed in South Korea and was about to return home to Fort Cavazos in Texas. Instead, officials said Black, who is married, traveled to Russia to see a longtime girlfriend. His arrest only further complicates relations between the United States and Russia, which have become increasingly strained as the war in Ukraine drags on.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel details.

Cynthia Smith, an Army spokeswoman, confirmed that a soldier was arrested Thursday in Vladivostok, a major military and commercial port in the Pacific, for criminal misconduct. She said Russia informed the United States and the military informed the soldiers' families.

The U.S. State Department is providing appropriate consular support to the soldier in Russia, Smith said.

Officials said the Russian woman had lived in South Korea, and last fall she and Black had some sort of domestic argument or altercation. After that, she left South Korea. It is not clear whether she was forced to leave or what role, if any, Korean authorities played in the matter.

Officials also said Black, an infantryman, did not tell his unit he was going to Russia and did not receive any authorization to go there. They said he was essentially on leave, having left Korea to redeploy home to Fort Cavazos.

It is unclear, however, whether U.S. military personnel are specifically prohibited from traveling to Russia, although the State Department strongly advises U.S. citizens against traveling there.

The arrest comes less than a year after U.S. soldier Travis King sprinted toward North Korea across the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas. North Korea later announced it would expel King, who was returned to the United States. He was eventually charged with desertion.

Russia is known to hold a number of Americans in its prisons, including corporate security executive Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. The U.S. government designated both men as wrongfully detained and attempted to negotiate their release.

Other detainees include Travis Leake, a musician who had lived in Russia for years and was arrested last year on drug charges; Marc Fogel, teacher in Moscow, sentenced to 14 years in prison, also for drug trafficking; and double nationals Alsou Kurmasheva and Ksenia Khavana.

The arrest of soldiers in Russia was first reported by NBC News.

___ Associated Press journalists Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://apnews.com/article/soldier-arrested-russia-korea-ca2842597a0af45062667f8cc552eca6 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos