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A US soldier currently imprisoned in Russia on charges of stealing from his girlfriend in the country pleaded guilty to theft, Russian media reported.

Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, the US soldier detained in Russia, admitted guilt on a theft charge, a Russian official confirmed to ABC News. He was arrested in Vladivostok earlier this month and placed in pre-trial detention. According to state news agency Tass, Black has “admitted guilt and is cooperating with the investigation.”

Gordon Black

The Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Primorsky Territory told Interfax that Black, 34, had confessed to his crime. He was charged with “theft causing significant damage.” Tass reported that Black was communicating with authorities in English via an interpreter. Russia’s criminal code stipulates that this crime can result in a fine of 200,000 Roubles ($2,200), compulsory labor of up to 240 hours, or a jail term of up to five years.

US officials said Black was stationed in South Korea and was due to travel to a US Army base in Texas when he made an unscheduled visit to Russia to see a woman he was romantically involved with. Black’s mother, Melody Jones, told NBC News last week that her son had been “lured” to Russia by the woman, Aleksandra Vashchuk. Jones claimed, “I think she convinced him to come there,” adding that her son wanted to see Vashchuk one last time before going home.

Black met the 32-year-old Russian woman while she was working in South Korea, as revealed in a series of TikTok videos that surfaced after his arrest. The woman said in the videos that she lived in South Korea for five years.

Black’s wife, Megan Black, also called on Russian authorities to release him through a statement from her attorney. Despite their ongoing divorce, she said securing Black’s freedom would provide comfort to their six-year-old daughter. 

Army spokesperson Cynthia O. Smith noted earlier this month that Black, who enlisted as an infantryman in 2008 and has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, did not have clearance to visit Russia. The Army is “looking into” whether Russian intelligence had targeted Black. 

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