Moscow — A U.S. citizen has been sentenced to 10 days in detention for petty hooliganism after stumbling drunkenly into a children's library and passing out. This incident occurred just hours after news broke that a U.S. soldier was being held in custody in Vladivostok on suspicion of theft.
According to Russia's REN TV, the man in Moscow climbed through a window of a children's library and fell asleep while intoxicated. Video footage showed a partially clothed individual lying in a courtyard of the building.
Reportedly, the man was visiting Moscow on a tourist visa and ended up at the library after a night out with friends at a bar.
Man Sentenced to 10 Days for Public Indecency in Moscow
A man named Nikum William Russell has been sentenced to 10 days of "administrative arrest" by the Khoroshevsky District Court of Moscow. The court stated that Russell was charged with petty hooliganism after he was found naked in a courtyard, exhibiting clear disrespect for society, citizens, and public order, following the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
There has been no immediate confirmation of the arrest from U.S. authorities.
U.S. Soldier Detained in Russia for Theft
Following reports of an American's detention, it was revealed that a U.S. soldier, identified as Gordon Black, is being held in custody in Vladivostok on suspicion of theft. The soldier, a U.S. Army sergeant stationed in South Korea, was accused of stealing from a woman, according to Pentagon officials.
Black, who was in the process of changing duty stations from Korea to Fort Cavazos (Ft. Hood) in the U.S., was not in Russia on official military travel. His mother, Melody Jones, stated that he was in Russia visiting his girlfriend.
"Please do not torture him or hurt him," pleaded Melody Jones when asked about her message to the Russians regarding her son's detention.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday that the U.S. was "aware of this case and other matters related to Russia," but said he couldn't "say much about it right now." NBC News
Vladivostok city police said they had arrested a 34-year-old foreigner and opened a criminal case over theft causing significant harm to the victim, punishable by up to five years in prison. The suspect is being held in a pre-trial detention center in the city, the police said.
The force said the man had begun a relationship with a Russian woman while she was working in South Korea. They kept in touch online and he came to visit her on April 10. The couple had a "conflict" and the man left, according to the police.
Russia denies any link to "politics or espionage"
A Russian foreign ministry representative in Vladivostok told TASS state news agency that the case was not linked to politics.
"This case is not related to politics or espionage. As far as we understand this is a purely domestic crime. Therefore the foreign ministry branch in Vladivostok is not following the U.S. citizen's fate closely."
"Putin has a long history of holding American citizens hostage," he said of Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding: "A warning to all Americans — as the State Department has said, it is not safe to travel to Russia."
Russian authorities have arrested several U.S. citizens in recent years. Critics accuse Moscow of using the detainees as bargaining chips to exchange for Russians jailed in the U.S.
Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, has been imprisoned in Russia since 2018 on spying charges that the U.S. government and his family insist are a baseless pretext to keep him incarcerated. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was jailed in March 2023 on espionage charges, which the U.S., his family and employer all insist are baseless. He is awaiting trial.
The State Department said in December that Russia rejected a "significant" proposal for both men's release.
