A U.S. soldier was detained in Russia last week, the Army and National Security Council confirmed Monday.
On May 2, “Russian authorities in Vladivostok, Russia, detained an American Soldier on charges of criminal misconduct,” U.S. Army spokesperson Cynthia O. Smith said in a statement to The Hill.
Smith said the Russian Federation notified the State Department of the criminal detention, and the Army thereafter notified the soldier’s family.
The State Department “is providing appropriate consular support to the Soldier in Russia,” she added.
And a NSC spokesperson told The Hill that the State Department “is actively seeking consular access to this individual, who was not in Russia on behalf of or in affiliation with the U.S. government.”
They referred further questions about the individual’s employment to the Pentagon, which referred The Hill to the Army.
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby also told reporters Monday that the White House is aware of the detained soldier.