U.S. Soldier Sentenced to Nearly Four Years in Russian Penal Colony

A Russian court sentenced U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, on Wednesday to three years and nine months in a penal colony for allegedly robbing and threatening to murder his Russian girlfriend.

According to Russian media, Black was arrested on May 2 in the eastern Russian port city of Vladivostok after his girlfriend, Alexandra Vashuk, reported him to the police following an argument.

Vashuk accused Black of stealing about 10,000 rubles (about $120) from her and physically attacking her. She said he grabbed her by the neck during the confrontation, which she interpreted as a threat to her life.

Russian court officials said Black “partially” acknowledged his guilt on the theft charge, although he said he planned to return the money he took from her purse. Black said he took Vashuk’s money because he could not access his own funds while in Russia and accused her of starting the argument that turned violent because she had been drinking heavily.

Black is married and has a child in Texas. His wife, Megan, said she did not know he was in Russia until she received a message from him on May 2 “telling me that he wasn’t coming home.” She said they were in the process of finalizing their divorce at the time of his arrest.

Megan said, through her attorneys, that she believes Black’s “ill-advised” decision to travel to Russia was “motivated entirely by personal reasons,” specifically an “extra-marital affair,” and had nothing to do with “geopolitical intrigue.” Russian officials have not charged him with espionage-related offenses, as they have done with kidnapped Americans, like former Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

According to Russian media accounts of the trial, Black said he met Vashuk on the dating app Tinder in October 2022 while he was stationed in South Korea. The two dated in South Korea until she returned to Vladivostok and invited him to join her there.

Radio Free Europe (RFE), in May, posted videos from a TikTok account, purportedly belonging to Vashuk, in which she referred to Black as her “husband.” She posted photos of herself with Black — his name clearly visible on his Army uniform in some of the clips — that were taken in 2022 and 2023. Vashuk said on TikTok that she lived in South Korea for about five years before returning to Russia.

Pentagon officials said Black was in the process of changing his duty station from South Korea to Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood) in Texas when he took “unofficial travel” to Russia.

A U.S. Army spokeswoman said Wednesday that Black signed out from his post in South Korea, but “instead of returning to the continental United States, Black flew from Incheon, Republic of Korea, through China to Vladivostok, Russia, for personal reasons.”

The Army has previously stated Black did not obtain clearance to travel to Russia, his trip was not authorized by the Department of Defense (DOD), and the U.S. government has strongly advised Americans not to travel to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began.

Black’s mother, Melody Jones, said, in May, that she thought Vashuk set him up to be arrested when he flew to Russia since he was a “good soldier” who would normally have known better than to make such a risky trip.

“He met her in the bar where she was working, and they’ve been together, on and off, for about a year and a half. I’ve never met her in person, but I’ve spoken to her over Messenger. My motherly instincts told me something was wrong with her,” Jones said.

Black denied the charge of threatening to kill Vashuk, and his lawyers said he plans to appeal his penal colony sentence. Prosecutors had sought a longer sentence for Black, plus a fine that would work out to $456 in U.S. currency.

Russian media quoted Vashuk saying she did not appear in court on Wednesday because it was “too hard” for her to look at Black and remember their final fight.