Russian authorities said on Tuesday they had detained two U.S. nationals, including a serving U.S. soldier, in separate criminal cases.
The soldier, detained on Monday on charges of criminal misconduct, was arrested on theft charges by a court in Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East, the regional office of the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the case had no political element and there were no allegations of espionage.
“As far as we understand, this is a purely everyday crime”, the TASS state media agency cited the ministry’s Vladivostok branch as saying.
Criminal cases against Americans in Russia have assumed diplomatic significance in recent years, including a drugs case against basketball star Brittney Griner freed last year in a prisoner swap, and an espionage case against Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, which he and his employer deny.
The court identified the soldier as Gordon Black and said he would be detained at least until July 2.
The U.S. Army, which said on Monday it had been informed about the detention, has not identified the soldier. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the soldier had been based in South Korea.
The Russian interior ministry in Vladivostok said a 32-year-old woman had filed a complaint against the 34-year-old suspect.
