United States – An American serviceman has been picked up in Russia on suspicion of committing certain crimes, according to the US Army on Monday, the latest Russian detainment of an American.
A US official said the soldier was based in South Korea and spoke on condition of anonymity. Another American official added that the soldier was suspected of stealing from a female suspect, as reported by Reuters.
Details Unveiled
The Army has not released details on the charges while maintaining security. It mentioned that Moscow had reported the soldier’s criminal detention to the US State Department in accordance with the international treaty, Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
“On May 2, 2024, Russian authorities in Vladivostok, Russia, detained an American soldier on charges of criminal misconduct,” the Army said.
Media Coverage and Russian Response
The soldier’s arrest was first alerted by NBC News.
Russia’s embassy in the United States did not provide an immediate response when a request for comments was sent to it.
The Russian daily Izvestia, citing a no-name source, said the South Korea-based soldier came across one woman from the town of Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East through the Internet.
Izvestia wrote they lived together for a while, and when they finally prepared for the wedding, there were many problems. After conquering her, he raised his hand and helped himself to 200,000 roubles ($2,200) that belonged to her.
Allegations and Attempts for Release
Since spring, representatives of the US government have been trying to get Brussels to let go of journalist Evan Gershkovich and other Americans being kept by Russians.
Gershkovich, 32, is the first American journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War. He has still not been convicted but will stay in the Lefortovo prison for another two months. He, his newspaper, and even the U.S. government all deny it is a spy.
Gershkovich and Whelan, an American who got spied against Russia and was sentenced to 16 years in 2020, have already both been declared by the United State Department as “wrongful detention,” which means Washington states that the charges against them are fake, and it is committed to working for their release.
Limited Information and Privacy Concerns
When the spokesperson for the Department of State was asked about a soldier’s detention, all he could say was that “US citizen has been detained in Russia.”
“We reiterate our strong warnings about the danger posed to US citizens inside the Russian Federation. US citizens residing or traveling in Russia should depart immediately, as stated in our Travel Advisory for Russia,” the State Department spokesperson said, as reported by Reuters.
“Due to privacy and other considerations, we have no further details to provide at this time.”