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Russian Court Jails American Soldier for Theft, Death Threats

Gordon Black. AP / TASS

A Russian court in the Far East city of Vladivostok on Wednesday sentenced an American soldier to three years and nine months in prison for making death threats and theft, state media reported.

Gordon Black was arrested last month in Vladivostok, where he was visiting a Russian woman he met and dated while stationed in South Korea.

The 34-year-old was arrested after the woman, identified by Russian media as Alexandra Vashuk, reported him to the police following an argument.

Vashuk had accused Black of stealing around 10,000 rubles ($113) from her and said he had physically attacked her. Black said she had started an argument after drinking.

The American soldier pleaded "partially guilty" to theft and not guilty to threatening to kill Vashuk, Russian media reported.

The pair met in October 2022 on the dating app Tinder in South Korea and had dated there, Black said. Vashuk then invited him to come to Vladivostok.

Black's lawyer intends to appeal the verdict, the TASS news agency reported on Wednesday.

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