Girlfriend lured detained US soldier to Russia, claims mother

The mother of the US soldier detainedin Russia has claimed that his girlfriend "lured" him to the country.

United States' Staff Sgt. Gordon D. Black, 34 was arrested by the Russian police on May 2 in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok.

Speaking to NBC News about her son’s girlfriend Aleksandra Vashchuk, Melody Jones said, "I think she convinced him to comethere." The soldier has been kept in police custody on charges of “theft of personal property.”

According to the report, Black travelled to Vladivostok on his own after ending his duty as an Army trainer in South Korea on April 10.

Also Read: Pentagon says US soldier arrested in Russia for theft flouted army rules

The US soldier was asked to leave the foreign base and move directly to his next station in Texas, said Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith, while speaking to The New York Post on Tuesday (May 7).

'More worried about him going to Russia than Iraq and Afghanistan'

“He wanted to see her for the last time before going home, and so he went there,” said Jones, as she explained what motivated her son to travel to Russia where many Americans, which includes Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, have been held against their will.

“I was worried about himgoing because the government there has been grabbing Americans. I told him not to go. I was more worried about him going to Russia than I was when he was in Iraq and Afghanistan," Jones said.

Black, whose divorce from his wife is going on in the United States, first interacted with Vashchuk “at a bar where she was working,” Jones said to NBC.

“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,” said the worried mother.

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Meanwhile, Jones said that her son is "a good boy with a cute, crooked smile". "He was a good soldier, too,” she added, further stating that he speaks Russian fluently.

In one of the videos uploaded on Vashchuk’s TikTok account, Black was seen supporting Russia amid the Ukraine war.

“I think NATO is pretty aggressive. Honestly, I understand Russia’s position.Obviously,they want to defend their country," said Black in the video.

After landing in Vladivostok, the US soldier was arrested on charges of stealing property from a person, who was identified as "citizen T", as per a statement from Pervomaisky District Court spokeswoman Elena Oleneva. He is likely to remain in Russia for at least two months.

His mother said that the last thing he texted her was, "Don’t worry about me, I’m OK."

(With inputs from agencies)