Arrested US soldier’s mother says he was lured to Russia by girlfriend

The mother of a U.S. solider detained in Russia says he was lured there by his girlfriend and arrested on purpose.

In an interview with NBC News, Melody Jones said she thinks her son, Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, was set up by his girlfriend, Aleksandra Vashchuk.

“I think she convinced him to come there,” Jones said. “He wanted to see her for the last time before going home, and so he went there.”

Black has been detained on theft charges since May 2 after he traveled from the Camp Humphreys base in South Korea to the Russian city of Vladivostok.

Jones said her son would only be traveling to Russia to see “her.”

“He met her in the bar where she was working, and they’ve been together, on and off, for about a year and a half,” she said. “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.”

According to Defense Department spokesperson Sabrina Singh, Black was processed out of South Korea’s station on April 10 and was leaving to be stationed in Texas.

“However, instead of returning to the U.S., Black flew from Korea through China and then to Vladivostock, Russia for personal reasons,” Singh said Tuesday. “As of right now, Black is currently in a pre-trial detention facility.”

The Army has opened an administrative investigation to determine Black’s travel. He did not have Defense Department clearance to travel to Russia.

Jones said she questioned why Vashchuk would “latch on to him” because he is a “good boy with a cute, crooked smile.”

The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry office in Vladivostock said his detention has nothing to do with politics or espionage, NBC News reported.

Black’s detention has been extended at least until July, a Russian court announced Tuesday.