Gordon Black: US soldier sentenced to nearly four years in Russian penal colony, state media reports

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A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced an American soldier to three years and nine months in prison for robbery and threatening to murder, the official RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Staff Sgt. Gordon Black was arrested in May for theft in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, where he had gone to visit a woman who may be his girlfriend. He was accused of stealing 10,000 rubles (about $112) from her during her visit to Russia in April after meeting her in South Korea, the official TASS news agency previously reported.

Black was also accused of assaulting the woman during an argument.

The American soldier did not admit to threatening to kill the woman, but partially admitted his guilt in the robbery charges, RIA Novosti reported.

Black will appeal the sentence handed down by the Vladivostok court, his lawyer said on Wednesday, according to the TASS agency.

Speaking to the Pervomaisky District Court on Monday, Black said he took the money from the woman's purse, but the next day transferred $125 to her. He said he spent the money on food and three nights in a hotel, according to RIA.

He also said the woman had to collect a deposit of 10,000 rubles from the landlord after the lease on the apartment he was paying for ended, RIA reported.

The woman also spoke in court Monday, saying she was not yet ready to reconcile with Black since the damages had not yet been compensated.

Black's conviction comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine rages. A number of Americans are detained in Russia, including two declared wrongly detained by the US State Department: former Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

Gershkovich, 32, will be tried behind closed doors in the city of Yekaterinburg from June 26, the TASS agency reported on Monday, citing the court's press service.

The journalist has been in prison since he was arrested last March while reporting by the FSB, Russia's federal security service, which accused him of trying to obtain state secrets. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

Gershkovich, the US government and the Wall Street Journal have vehemently denied the accusations against him.

The White House has previously claimed that the Kremlin is using Gershkovich, the first American journalist detained in Russia on espionage allegations since the Cold War, as a geopolitical hostage.

The U.S. government has repeatedly warned American citizens not to travel to Russia.

This is a developing story and will be updated.