U.S. Army officer Gordon Black surprised his 6-year-old daughter in Texas with a video chat while on an overseas tour in South Korea, months before he was arrested in Russia.
But instead of a casual conversation, Black and his Russian lover got into a violent altercation, which his wife Megan claimed to have observed. His partner began to scratch at his face as the screaming got violent. She then took out a knife.
In an exclusive interview with Reuters, Megan Black said that Black "had blood on his face" and that "she stabbed him." Her daughter was inconsolable.
Regarding the video call, Black could not be reached for comment. A request for comment regarding his case was not answered by the Army. Reuters attempted to contact Black via the State Department but was unable.
Black, a U.S. Army staff sergeant assigned to Camp Humphreys outside of Seoul, was detained in pre-trial custody on May 2 in Vladivostok, Russia's far east, after an altercation. According to Russian police, Black was accused of stealing.
Black, a U.S. Army staff sergeant assigned to Camp Humphreys outside of Seoul, was detained in pre-trial custody on May 2 in Vladivostok, Russia's far east, after an altercation. According to Russian police, Black was accused of stealing.
Despite their "fighting like cats and dogs," he followed his lover to Russia, according to his mother Melody Jones, who spoke to Reuters.
You two don't have to be together, I informed them. One day, one of you is going to get hurt," Jones remarked. "You understand that fighting is not a good thing to do all the time."
For American officials currently handling a number of high-profile cases involving the incarceration of former US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia, Black's arrest is a further burden.
You two don't have to be together, I informed them. One day, one of you is going to get hurt," Jones remarked. "You understand that fighting is not a good thing to do all the time."
For American officials currently handling a number of high-profile cases involving the incarceration of former US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia, Black's arrest is a further burden.
According to the Pentagon, Black, an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran, traveled through China to reach Russia without Army permission, breaking military regulations.
The Russian government, the Pentagon, Black's mother, and his wife have all denied any suggestion that espionage is a problem. The case has no political component, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The Russian government, the Pentagon, Black's mother, and his wife have all denied any suggestion that espionage is a problem. The case has no political component, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.