A Russian court ruled on Wednesday to imprison an American soldier after finding him guilty of threats to kill and theft, according to reports from Russian news agencies. A court in Vladivostok sentenced Gordon Black to three years and nine months in prison. Black was arrested last month in the city located in the far east of the country while visiting a Russian woman he had dated during his service in South Korea. The woman, named Alexandra Vashuk, reported the 34-year-old American soldier after a quarrel erupted between them, as reported by Russian media.
Vashuk accused her former boyfriend Black of stealing about 10,000 rubles (100 euros) from her and physically assaulting her. Russian media reported that Black admitted to being "partially guilty" in the theft charge but not guilty of the threat to kill her. Black stated that the argument began after she had been drinking. He added that he met Vashuk through the dating app "Tinder" and met her in October 2022 in South Korea before she invited him to visit Vladivostok. TASS reported on Wednesday that his lawyer intends to appeal the ruling.
