The U.S. Army has confirmed that Staff Sergeant Gordon Black, an American soldier stationed in South Korea, was arrested last week during an unauthorized visit to the Russian far eastern port city of Vladivostok.

Black, 34, who is married (for now), was in the process of returning home to Fort Hood Cavazos, Texas, when he made the trip to Vladivostok to visit his Russian honeypot...I mean girlfriend. Needless to say, he made the trip without the knowledge or permission of his chain of command. Black's paramour accused him of assaulting her, stealing 200,000 rubles (about 35 cents...that's a joke), and, naturally, as this is a story about a Russian taking place in the Russian Far East, some alcohol.

A judge in Pervomaisky district court in Vladivostok has ordered Black detained until at least July 2 on charges of  "theft causing significant damage to a citizen." He faces five years in prison unless he's given the option afforded so many other Russian convicts of stomping his way through Ukrainian minefields.

Black was assigned to the US Eighth Army at Camp Humphreys at Pyeongtaek. South Korea. The woman, Aleksandra Vashchuk, is a Russian citizen who has worked in South Korea for at least five years. How did a GI meet a Russian girl in Korea? It is possible that she's a brilliant young scholar honing her language skills while studying abroad, but I'm not sure that scenario is the most likely one. This story from 2018 might be the key.

Mark Krutov, a reporter with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has curated videos from Vashchuk's Tikok account.

As an aside, I can remember seeing this PSA on television back when Radio Free Europe was pro-American.

Looks like Black was an army drill instructor. pic.twitter.com/HKe83OOdIc

— Mark Krutov (@kromark) May 7, 2024

Black also has a 3d Infantry Division combat patch, a Combat Infantryman Badge, Airborne wings, and that badge they give for riding in helicopters. He worked at Eighth Army's Wightman NCO Academy, where he trained US NCOs and, according to the patch, Korean Augmentation to the US Army (KATUSA) NCOs. KATUSAs are typically pampered, privileged Koreans from upper-middle-class or better households who can at least fake English proficiency and enroll in the program rather than do their conscription service in a ROK Army unit. They are assigned to US units where they may or may not be helpful as translators and as liaison to the local population.

Black had also been stationed in South Korea and had been set to return to Texas but instead traveled to Russia where he was arrested. Prior to that they broke up with Alexandra. She even photoshopped him out of her VK profile pic. pic.twitter.com/oQXX91rjB1

— Mark Krutov (@kromark) May 7, 2024

In one video, Vashchuk films near Camp Humphreys, the U.S. Army installation around 60 kilometers south of Seoul. pic.twitter.com/S8qMBl3ov2

— Mark Krutov (@kromark) May 7, 2024

Another TikTok video has surfaced of Black explaining his politics to Vashchuk as she curiously acts as an interviewer. Naturally, Black thinks NATO is "pretty aggressive," Russia had a point invading Ukraine, and Donald Trump is the man. 

The American soldier currently enjoying the hospitality of one Putin's dungeon masters after being honeypotted into visiting Russia, here reciting a series of Kremlin talking points.

Are members of the US military no longer taught who the enemy is? pic.twitter.com/hAoyfT2Bwm

— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) May 7, 2024

In this tender moment, he learns how to wish Russia victory on May 9 (Victory Day), 2022.

The dumbass US soldier that got honeypot tricked into going to Russia not only loved Trump and decried "NATO aggressor", but here wishing Russia victory on May 9th, 2022.

This guy is now enjoying one of Putin's dungeons and likely will be for a very long time. pic.twitter.com/o06cYfwT7h

— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) May 7, 2024

I'm sure Tucker Carlson will have a guest host slot ready for him when he gets home.

There are many unanswered questions in this case. The big one is whether Black let the wrong head do the thinking or if this started out as a Snowden-style defection and Black got cold feet or the Russians decided he was more trouble than he was worth. Hopefully, SSG Black will be willing to talk about the facts and circumstances that led him to think this made sense.