American soldier convicted of theft in Russia and sentenced to almost 4 years in prison

MOSCOW (AP) — A court in the far-eastern Russian city of Vladivostok on Wednesday found a visiting U.S. soldier guilty of robbery and threats to murder, and sentenced him to three and nine years months in prison.

Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, traveled to the Pacific port city to see his girlfriend and was arrested last month after she accused him of stealing from her, according to U.S. and Russian officials.

Russian state news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti reported that the judge at the Pervomaisky district court in Vladivostok also ordered Black to pay 10,000 rubles ($115) in damages. Prosecutors had requested a sentence of four years and eight months in prison.

Black's case comes amid tensions over Russia's arrests of American journalists and other American nationals as fighting in Ukraine continues.

Russia imprisoned a number of Americansincluding a corporate security manager Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovitch. The U.S. government has designated both men as wrongfully detained and is trying to negotiate their release.

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

The US Department of State strongly advises US citizens against traveling to Russia.

Black was on leave and about to return to his home base at Fort Cavazos, Texas, from South Korea, where he was stationed at Camp Humphreys with the Eighth Army.

Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said Black signed for his return home and, “instead of returning to the continental United States, Black flew from Incheon, R.P. from Korea, via China to Vladivostok, Russia, for personal reasons.”

According to Pentagon policy, military personnel must obtain authorization from a security official or commander for all international travel.

The US military said last month that Black had not requested such travel authorization and that it was not authorized by the Department of Defense. Given the hostilities in Ukraine and the threats to the United States and its military, it is extremely unlikely that he would have obtained this approval.

Black's girlfriend, Alexandra Vashchuk, told reporters earlier this month that “it was a simple domestic dispute,” during which Black “became aggressive and attacked her.”

“He then stole money from my wallet and I did not give him permission to do it,” Vashchuk said.

On Wednesday, she told Russian newspaper Gazeta.ru that she considered the sentence “completely humane” and described Black as “violent and incapable of controlling himself.”

U.S. officials said Black, who is married, met Vashchuk in South Korea.

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