A US Army spokesman announced on Monday that an American soldier has been detained since Thursday in Russia, where he faces charges of committing a “criminal crime.”
“On May 2, 2024, Russian authorities in Vladivostok, Russia, arrested an American soldier on criminal charges,” Cynthia Smith said, adding that the soldier’s family had been notified and consular support had been provided.
“Given the sensitivity of the matter, we cannot provide further details at this time,” she added.
Earlier, the White House said that it was “aware” of the detention of an American soldier in Russia.
“We are aware of this,” said John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council.
He was responding to reports from NBC News that a soldier deployed in South Korea traveled to Russia alone where he was arrested.
The soldier, a sergeant, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of theft and is currently in pretrial detention, according to CNN.
In recent years, several American citizens have been arrested and sentenced to heavy sentences in Russia. Washington, which has been supporting Ukraine against the Russian army for two years, accuses Moscow of wanting to exchange them for Russians detained in the United States.
Wall Street Journal reporter Ivan Gershkovich, who also previously worked for AFP in Moscow, was arrested by Russian security services (FSB) during a report in Yekaterinburg, in the Ural Mountains, more than a year old, in March 2023.
He is accused of espionage, a crime punishable by 20 years in prison, a harsh punishment unprecedented for a foreign journalist since the end of the Soviet Union.
He rejects these accusations, as do the United States, his newspaper, his loved ones, and his family.
Russia has never proven its accusations or provided evidence publicly. The entire procedure was classified.
Russian-American journalist Alsou Kurmasheva, who works for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), has also been detained since October 2023 for not registering as a “foreign agent” as requested by authorities.
