An American soldier held captive in Russia is still being kept in a detention facility, according to Pentagon officials.

An American soldier held in Vladivostok, Russia, last Thursday is currently in a pretrial detention facility and will stay there until his next hearing, although the date of that hearing is not yet clear.

During a press briefing, Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary, revealed that Staff Sgt. Gordon Black joined the Army as an infantryman in 2008 and is currently assigned to the Eighth Army U.S. Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys in the Republic of South Korea.

"On April 10, Black out-processed from Eighth Army and signed out on permanent change of station, but instead of returning to the U.S., Black flew from Korea through China, and then to Vladivostok, Russia, for personal reasons."

She stated that Black is currently being held in a pretrial detention facility and will remain there until his next hearing.

An administrative investigation has been launched by the Army to examine the facts and circumstances surrounding Singh's travel, and the consequences of his actions will also be examined as part of the investigation.

Official or any leave to Russia is strictly prohibited, as per the DoD foreign clearance guide, which is also informed by the State Department guidelines. Singh stated that she believed the status was set to Category Four, which does not allow travel to Russia.

On Tuesday, Melody Jones, Black's mother, stated on GMA that she believed her son was "set up" by his girlfriend.

Her son met a Russian woman while she was working at a bar near his Army base in South Korea, and she was eventually deported back to Russia.

"GMA" reported that Jones said, "I knew something was going to happen, and I felt like he was being set up by her."

Jones expressed her concerns about her son's volatile relationship with the Russian woman, suspecting his longtime girlfriend might be a spy. She advised her son not to travel to Russia while on leave in the U.S.

"Did she cause the argument? Did she start the fight to get him arrested?" Jones inquired. According to "GMA," the charges against Black include assaulting a woman and stealing money from her, as reported by Russian television.

From October 2009 to September 2010, Black was deployed to Iraq, and from June 2013 to March 2014, Black was deployed to Afghanistan, according to Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith.

Smith stated that Black, an infantry soldier, did not obtain official clearance and was not granted authorization to visit those countries.

Smith stated that there was no indication Black planned to stay in Russia beyond his PCS departure.

The U.S. government advises its citizens to avoid traveling to Russia and to evacuate if already present.

Several other Americans, along with Black, remain detained in Russia.

An English instructor named William Nycum, who was in Russia on a six-month tourist visa, broke into a Moscow children's library and was caught on CCTV footage. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail.

Two Americans, Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive convicted of espionage, and Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter arrested on espionage charges in March 2023, are being held by Russia. The U.S. government considers both individuals to be wrongfully detained and has been working to secure their release through negotiations.

Including Travis Leake, a musician residing in Russia for years and detained on drug charges; Marc Fogel, a teacher in Moscow sentenced to 14 years in prison for the same reason; and dual nationals Alsu Kurmasheva and Ksenia Khavana, others were also detained.

This report was contributed to by Pilar Arias of Planet Chronicle Digital and The Associated Press.