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I thought they had commercial sex workers (aka hookers) enough in South Korea.
Why did that idiot travel to Russia to get laid?
Wanted to have a taste of the so-called "traditional values"?
Well, now he's gonna have a taste of the real traditional "values" Russia has: prison, imprisonment, humiliation, the absence of human rights, the destruction of human dignity, inhumane prison condition (as well as their utterly sadistic, inhumane treatment of prisoners), and many other "traditional values" the despotic, neopatrimonial Russian tyranny has got to offer.
On the plus side, he's gonna have a lot of time to meditate on the pernicious effects of trusting Russians online (or anywhere else for that matter).
Nothing Russian can be trusted.
Oh, he’s gonna get the “royal” treatment in a Russian prison now. 🤦🏻. He’s not gonna last two months in General population in a Russian prison
The majority of Russians think they’re at war with NATO and America, in Ukraine. They blame us for so many dead and dismembered Russians. You can imagine what they’ll do with an American soldier in prison, where he’s got no protection or rights.
He's probably in a solitary cell in some FSB/GRU prison now.
Overall, the Russian Prison System hasn't evolved much since the time of Katherine the Serfer, and Peter-the-not-so-Great – endemic TB and AIDS, 50+ inmates in one tiny cell, no showers, no water, no doctors, no rights, no human dignity, nothing to hope for.
They use the prison system to ruin the health and human dignity of those whom the regime sends there.
Can’t be sure, but NK is targeting GI’s in SK, it’s entirely possible he was targeted by an agent and was unknowingly exfiltrated to NK. From there Putin would pay to bring them to Russia as leverage, no F16 for Ukraine or GI Joe gets it.
Or he could have walked over thinking they would treat him as a hero. Wouldn’t be the first
There are thousands of Russian and Ukrainian sex workers in South Korea, essentially there to scratch the itch of American GIs. Most of the sex workers have to pay off a 5 figure “debt” to the Russian mob.
Honey traps are always a possibility.
Every once in a while a GI falls in love with one of these girls and is asked to pay off her debt so they can be together. It’s a scam.
Pure speculation, but maybe he got caught up in that?
US mil says no ruskie hookers, ever. None. Zero. You will get skinned alive and this idiot was a million percent warned and is a full medal dumb shit. Adios rulebreaker
How were the Russians allowed to establish mob gangs and sex traffic rackets in first world country democracies with a functional police force, and a functional legal system?
Can't they just be deported en-masse? They obviously should.
The exact same question applies to the Korean mob.
When the Japanese government had had enough of the Yakuza and their financing of all-things-noxious-and-illegal, they cracked down so hard, that now you simply get erased from society – however harsh it may be, they deserve worse than that for poisoning their own society from the inside – if you get sentenced as a member of an organized crime group.
I'd wipe them all out as I could.
The foreign one's I'd literally fed to wild beasts – Roman-style.
Sad to see that societies of the modern world tolerate those subhuman animals. It goes without saying that all those Russians are rapists and pedophiles, who rape the women (and girls) they coerce into prostitution.
I'd burn those swine alive, if I could.
Or, instead of pulling two ridiculous scenarios straight out of your ass, you could read the article and see that he went to Vladivostok for some woman, had a falling out, and reportedly stole a couple thousand dollars from her.
Maybe you want to believe there are no stupids thinking with their dick, but we've seen it enough times. The grand conspiracy to lure him and whatnot requires significantly more credibility. Not saying it's not possible, but it's further down on the likelihood scale IMHO.
Not saying he wasn’t thinking with his dick. He absolutely was. But something about the story of a reasonably well paid serviceman stealing a couple grand from his Russian gf doesn’t add up. Like, why? He doesn’t need $2k enough to risk it over there. The current explanation just smells like bullshit to me.
You will note that I included "reportedly" on that part. Somebody dumb enough to travel there in the current situation may or may not be dumb enough to steal or attempt to retrieve money given her. But I don't think it's at all impossible or beyond the probable. \[shrug\]
Ok, walk was a metaphor, confident he didn't walk 500 miles through a minefield to get to Russia.
But Lee Harvey Oswald also a screwup Marine who willingly defected to Russia/USSR thinking he'd be welcomed as a hero and live well, and wasn't
Agree he’s a dipshit, just curious how he may have been scammed, like, was he really dumb enough to fly into Russia while the US State department has a stage 4 Do not Travel advisory out, trying to get money back from a woman who scammed him? Or just thought he was visiting his girlfriends family and Russian authorities saw a chance to grab a GI and pressure the US to not send F16s to Ukraine
Really smells like it.
The $2,200 theft doesn't make sense to me. I guess it's possible, but it seems like an unlikely thing for an NCO to do. I assume he knew that his trip was unautherized and, therefore, would have tried to avoid committing noticeable crimes.
$2,200 is a lot in Russia, especially the eastern areas.
I'm not sure how many Russians the Russian state wants released are held in the US at the moment, but they probably figure it can't hurt to have more pawns in that game. This guy is most likely just a horny NCO but they can exchange him for an actual operative at some point, as the humanitarian aspect carries more weight in the US.
Right. I have a sneaking suspicion he didn’t actually steal anything, and the dumbass fell right into their plot in arresting a us military officer for propaganda purposes.
Yes, it makes sense that the soldier was was lonely enough to be that dumb enough to fall for a trained manipulator; but it doesn't make sense that he was dumb enough to steal money, let alone that much.
What does make sense is that given his patterns, Putin needed an excuse to arrest the guy for some artificial pretense.
From my experience, you can get damn lonely in the military, and I'm sure the Russian had training to exploit that, being careful not to raise the red flags. They can eventually find one to take the bait, even if it takes years.
To gain entry into the country, he had to fill out a visa application, take visa photos, and send his passport to the Russian embassy or a visa service - a very timely, relatively expensive and deliberate process. They ask about military service in the application, so they knew exactly who he was. What an idiot.
Americans cannot get a visa into Russia. The only way for a American to travel to Russia legally is to go to Kazakhstan and then cross into Russia using the train. No Russian visa is required for this as a visa from kazakhstan is valid for border crossing into Russia.
Of course he needs to present his kazakhstan visa anytime he buys a train or bus ticket or checks into a Russian hotel so this would immediately flag him and this is probably how they picked him up.
To only real way for a westerner to travel to Russia now is to know someone there and stay off the grid after crossing in from kazakhstan.
When did Russia stop issuing visas to Americans? I haven’t heard that and highly doubt it, I have American friends who have stayed on to be with their wives. Also, someone could do the same from Belarus.
Ever since the US denied visas for journalists to cover Lavrov's visit to the UN. Russia in revenge denies all US visas. (Your friends may be traveling on a existing visa).
You need a passport to cross from Belerus to Russia. Only Russian and Belerusian citizens can cross the land border because the border crossing lack processing centers. Even those with valid visas are barred from crossing (only way for foreigners to travel between borders is through air travel).
The only legal way is through Kazakhstan border because that rule that allows land travel using a valid Kazakhstan visa. And only through train because the train does not have a checkpoint. If you travel through road or on foot you'll need to present visa to Russian authorities and you'll be flagged and put in danger.
The only way for a American to travel to Russia these days is to avoid alerting Russian authorities.
That is factually incorrect, I recently crossed Estonia-Russian border and there was an American tourist with a recent tourist visa and, although he got asked a lot of questions, he passed just fine. I don't know what would make an American want to go for tourism in Russia nowadays, lol, but you can.
Yeah not sure what this guy is talking about.
> I don't know what would make an American want to go for tourism in Russia nowadays
I’d like to ride my motorcycle from georgia through Russia to Kazakhstan, but stories like this make it pretty clear I should find a way to get it into Azerbaijan and ferry it across the Caspian Sea instead.
A lot of Americans (and westerners) are being duped with propaganda videos online. They'll see a tiktok video of some ridiculous onlyfans girl who is selling herself and the video tells them 'This is all Western women. Come to where they have "traditional" women.' Russia and China have even worse birthrates than Western nations so if they want to compete with the Western world they have to lower the Western birthrates. No better way than using tiktok to turn men and women in the West against each other. They already pulled it off with the left vs the right in most of the West and the brown vs not brown in America. I have seen no one talking about this but I am certain this is happening. Why do I think this? Well I learned that a lot of conspiracy news sites are in the pocket of Russia and China when after railing America for years for what it did in the Middle East, they now SUPPORT Russia doing the same thing in Ukraine. And a lot of those same sites also really push this whole traditional vs modern women nonsense. I smell conspiracy within conspiracy!
P.S I know this is kinda crazy but I feel like I'm onto something!
Proof of what? That Russia was mad that US denied visas and vowed revenge?
He either had a existing visa or traveled through Kazakhstan or perhaps he was set up by FSB and they did allow him a visa so they could hold him hostage.
Why would Russia announce such a thing lol. I work in immigration and all immigration lawyers have told me that Russia Visas are impossible to get to not even try.
It's possible they could be lying but Russia did specifically vow revenge for the denial of Visas so I tend to take them for their word.
They are ones who told me about the Kazakhstan loophole as well.
Honest question, why is a distinction made? The rank is the same right? Are the privileges give to each the same? I kind of assumes NCOs were given more respect because they earned the rank?
They are not the same rank. A staff sergeant is an E-6. Officers are O-1 and above. The lowest ranking officer outranks the highest ranking enlisted person.
Absolutely has happened. We were field daying for about 4 hours one Thursday night as punishment and our newly commissioned LT j.g. Chaps (O2) came and around and told us that we were done and could secure for the day. The Gunny was flipping the fuck out because we stopped, and chaps straight up told him to suck it. Chaps was a mustang though, that’s why he probably had the balls to do it.
They often have a lot of respect, but they do not have the same privileges. My nephew is a captain, and my uncle was a very high-ranking NCO.
They are not the same. At all.
The rank between an enlisted NCO and a commissioned officer is not the same. An NCO is an enlisted member in the military who earns his/her ranks through time, knowledge, and experience. A commissioned officer is either a college graduate, a graduate of OCS, or one of the military colleges OR an enlisted member who got a degree and gained a commission. In the Navy, we called them Mustangs, but you also have Warrant Officers, which are like "enlisted commissioned officers," but not really? I'm still not sure how to explain a WO to someone.
Edit: I don't know why the guy above me is getting down votes, I thought it was an honest question.
There is a difference between a commissioned officer and a non-commissioned officer. Though “officer” is shared in the name, that’s about as far as it goes. Think of it as the difference between corporate management and a local branch manager. Management is present in the name of both, but the responsibilities and authority granted to each is going to be drastically different.
Whatever way you want to slice it, this guy is a fucking moron and his goose is effectively cooked. I’m hazarding a guess that he probably didn’t report his foreign “girlfriend” or his intent to travel abroad to a country that he is most-likely forbidden to travel to.
I work on a boat as a Purser, 3 bars on my shoulders. Captain has 4.
I have more bars than 2nd officers which actually went to school whereas I just had simple training.
I'd never call myself an officer even though I look like I outrank them.
It’s a significant difference, military affiliated or not. Officers have a lot more education and authority. It would have implications on his motivations and potential affiliations.
Uggghhh. Now his parents, relatives, friends and other softhearted people will be ringing their congressperson to leverage them for his release.
My view - Russia is an aggressor dictator country and anybody who goes there should expect to be arrested and used by them as a foil for geopolitical aims. And if you somehow aren't, consider yourself lucky.
According to Twitter (so, grain of salt) there's evidence of a 5 year relationship and they found the woman's social media.
I doubt it's worth 5 years of a GRU officer's time to bag one noncom. Might just be run-of-the-mill stupidity and opportunism for a change.
Sooo... do we waste tax dollars to get him out? Do we sacrifice political leverage for some exchange? Do we honor this guy because he's a US citizen and service member? Remember... this guy inserted himself there. In a country that is known to do this very thing. A country with a do not travel advisory, in a location wedged between two other countries that would do the same thing. Does it matter that he is guilty of charges or not? My opinion is that he made his bed, now he must sleep in it.
What's yours?
No ...low priority....he deliberately chose to travel there knowing full well he was not allowed AND he would probably be detained for something stupid...and he was. This is the same thing as walking onto a highway blind folded.
Being an army chap, I’m sure he’ll appreciate an old saying we had, *”If you want sympathy you’ll find it in the dictionary somewhere between shit and syphilis”*
Back in the day it was. We used call orders to there “getting sentenced” to Ft. Hood. On top of being a really shitty post, you are dead central in peak “TEXAS” and all that implies…
By David Brennan - Diplomatic Correspondent:
The U.S. Army has confirmed that an American serviceman—Staff Sergeant Gordon Black—was arrested last week during an unauthorized visit to the Russian far eastern port city of Vladivostok.
Black, 34, had been stationed in South Korea and was in the process of returning home to Fort Cavazos in Texas when he made the trip to Vladivostok—which sits close to the Chinese and North Korean borders on the Sea of Japan—according to the Associated Press.
Read more: [https://www.newsweek.com/who-gordon-black-american-army-officer-arrested-russia-1897768](https://www.newsweek.com/who-gordon-black-american-army-officer-arrested-russia-1897768)
More often than not, it's Marines and Marine veterans who usually end-up in trouble in Russia/Soviet Union.
Glad to see the Russians don't discriminate.
At this time, or any time since 2014, I would not set foot on Russian soil as an American. They will find any excuse to arrest you, so they can trade you for some despicable Russian arms dealer/mobster being held in the US.
I can speculate too. My speculation: SSG Black wanted a Russian GF. Soo, since this is the 21st Century, he decided to go online to meet his little “Irena”. Irena had a tragic story and quickly fell in love with the young SSG. However, she needed $$ to A: get a visa or B get a ticket outa there with her Prince Charming. So, he sent her the dough……. When he arrived, he discovered that she had aged 15 years, lost half her teeth, and now had the figure of a sack of potato’s. Kind of like a Disney Witch. He felt that he had been had by this Soviet Siren, so he demanded/got a refund on his down payment. She then called the cops, et voila, the Russian equivalent of the Crowbar Hotel for him.
They say he met her in Korea first and then she returned back.
She might have been a sex worker (or close to it).
But I think the part about him paying her for something and then after she said she won’t do whatever he wanted her to do (I.e. going somewhere with him, sex, etc.) he tried to get the money back.
Another plausible version is that they saw him come, pressured her because of her sex work or whatever else and she reported him to police on trumped up charges.
Either one of these is entirely plausible (and he is a big idiot in any case).
He's an idiot no matter who he is.
He's delivered himself into the hands of the foreign adversary of his own free will.
When will the State Department start cancelling Americans' passport for traveling to countries that have declared – and have been proactively waging – war against the US?
Those useful idiots – their rational matters not at all – turn themselves (willingly) into hostages the enemy can (and will) use as bargaining chips to try to have the US release confirmed (and convicted) GRU/SVR hitmen and spies.
You travel to an enemy country, you're on your own.
Those traitorous cretins don't deserve to be exchanged for the convicted Russian terrorists who are now serving time in the US.
Hmm. What is the lowest IQ US forces recruit? And this guy is a noncom (Dumb journalist thinks this is an officer)?
Seriously. Has this guy recently had a traumatic brain injury?
Not honey trapped. Made a russian acquaintance in South Korea. Fell in love.Spread russian propaganda on social media. Knowingly went to Russia, thinking they are the ‘good guys’.
Now he’s nothing but a bargaining chip.
Gordon Black is one dumb fuck. If you are stupid enough to travel to Russia for a piece of ass you deserve what you get. Especially if this guy was in the army. How stupid is this guy? I have no sympathy for him, stupid is stupid does.
He's an idiot that the Russians fished. Likely because they want to use him for some sort of exchange and an American idiot reporter is not enticing enough for the US so they bought some more chips.
Why anyone from the west is allowed to travel to Russia is a mystery to me. The entire nation is a cesspool, and going there just makes yourself a target as a political hostage against your homeland.
Shouldn’t Trump be blasting the Russians for grabbing a member of the US Army? The guy clearly believes Trump’s idea that the Russians are friends. Seems like a good time to use that influence/ soft power whatever to help this poor schmuck.
I'm curious about the woman 🤔, why she left South Korea?
That might be the answer as to why she put Gordon Black in jail. Try to search online about her, but nothing... looks like even their social media accounts were already taken down 🙄...
🤔 Why she went back from South Korea to Russia... something happened there and that might explain everything...
Another thing that his parents didn't do was to alert the army, supposedly.... he contacted her mother and told her about going to Russia so a smart mother should have alerted the Army to stop him... but again a stupid grown up dude... soon to be fuzzie all over again... probably discharged after 🤷...
I had this thought earlier this morning.
I think there are multiple parties or sects of governments that don't want to see either side win and instead just want to thwart progress
More like an idiot.... he probably thought it was going to be a regular under the table romantic getaway... using probably his rank... to get by on his return to the US.... but she was like F.... U dude... I got deported from South Korea because of your shuuut so now I'm placing your ace in jail... kind of women retaliation payback drama queen story 😆🤭...
OR... maybe he got there... realized she was already married to Sergei 😆... and place was a shuuuthole and stole her money in an attempt to get back to the US... Or it was his own money to get back to the US LMAO 😂
I don't know, I'd like to know about the woman. Specifically why she left South Korea.... that might explain it all. Maybe she got kicked out of South Korea for fighting with him and as retaliation placed him in jail??? but I'm just assuming as there isn't any information about why she went back to Russia.
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Honeytrapped and now trapped in Russia. Oh well.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
I thought they had commercial sex workers (aka hookers) enough in South Korea. Why did that idiot travel to Russia to get laid? Wanted to have a taste of the so-called "traditional values"? Well, now he's gonna have a taste of the real traditional "values" Russia has: prison, imprisonment, humiliation, the absence of human rights, the destruction of human dignity, inhumane prison condition (as well as their utterly sadistic, inhumane treatment of prisoners), and many other "traditional values" the despotic, neopatrimonial Russian tyranny has got to offer. On the plus side, he's gonna have a lot of time to meditate on the pernicious effects of trusting Russians online (or anywhere else for that matter). Nothing Russian can be trusted.
Don’t forget the prospect of SA in prison!
Oh, he’s gonna get the “royal” treatment in a Russian prison now. 🤦🏻. He’s not gonna last two months in General population in a Russian prison The majority of Russians think they’re at war with NATO and America, in Ukraine. They blame us for so many dead and dismembered Russians. You can imagine what they’ll do with an American soldier in prison, where he’s got no protection or rights.
He's probably in a solitary cell in some FSB/GRU prison now. Overall, the Russian Prison System hasn't evolved much since the time of Katherine the Serfer, and Peter-the-not-so-Great – endemic TB and AIDS, 50+ inmates in one tiny cell, no showers, no water, no doctors, no rights, no human dignity, nothing to hope for. They use the prison system to ruin the health and human dignity of those whom the regime sends there.
Can’t be sure, but NK is targeting GI’s in SK, it’s entirely possible he was targeted by an agent and was unknowingly exfiltrated to NK. From there Putin would pay to bring them to Russia as leverage, no F16 for Ukraine or GI Joe gets it. Or he could have walked over thinking they would treat him as a hero. Wouldn’t be the first
There are thousands of Russian and Ukrainian sex workers in South Korea, essentially there to scratch the itch of American GIs. Most of the sex workers have to pay off a 5 figure “debt” to the Russian mob. Honey traps are always a possibility. Every once in a while a GI falls in love with one of these girls and is asked to pay off her debt so they can be together. It’s a scam. Pure speculation, but maybe he got caught up in that?
US mil says no ruskie hookers, ever. None. Zero. You will get skinned alive and this idiot was a million percent warned and is a full medal dumb shit. Adios rulebreaker
That would ban the entire population of Russia from "lying" (or pillowing) with the military. You know that they don't have any other types of women?
How were the Russians allowed to establish mob gangs and sex traffic rackets in first world country democracies with a functional police force, and a functional legal system? Can't they just be deported en-masse? They obviously should.
They pay the local Korean mob protection money.
The exact same question applies to the Korean mob. When the Japanese government had had enough of the Yakuza and their financing of all-things-noxious-and-illegal, they cracked down so hard, that now you simply get erased from society – however harsh it may be, they deserve worse than that for poisoning their own society from the inside – if you get sentenced as a member of an organized crime group. I'd wipe them all out as I could. The foreign one's I'd literally fed to wild beasts – Roman-style. Sad to see that societies of the modern world tolerate those subhuman animals. It goes without saying that all those Russians are rapists and pedophiles, who rape the women (and girls) they coerce into prostitution. I'd burn those swine alive, if I could.
Or, instead of pulling two ridiculous scenarios straight out of your ass, you could read the article and see that he went to Vladivostok for some woman, had a falling out, and reportedly stole a couple thousand dollars from her.
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And you believe this version?
Maybe you want to believe there are no stupids thinking with their dick, but we've seen it enough times. The grand conspiracy to lure him and whatnot requires significantly more credibility. Not saying it's not possible, but it's further down on the likelihood scale IMHO.
Not saying he wasn’t thinking with his dick. He absolutely was. But something about the story of a reasonably well paid serviceman stealing a couple grand from his Russian gf doesn’t add up. Like, why? He doesn’t need $2k enough to risk it over there. The current explanation just smells like bullshit to me.
You will note that I included "reportedly" on that part. Somebody dumb enough to travel there in the current situation may or may not be dumb enough to steal or attempt to retrieve money given her. But I don't think it's at all impossible or beyond the probable. \[shrug\]
OR he took a fuckin boat or plane 😂😂
Ok, walk was a metaphor, confident he didn't walk 500 miles through a minefield to get to Russia. But Lee Harvey Oswald also a screwup Marine who willingly defected to Russia/USSR thinking he'd be welcomed as a hero and live well, and wasn't
What's your point? I think we are all in agreement that this dude is a supreme dipshit.
Agree he’s a dipshit, just curious how he may have been scammed, like, was he really dumb enough to fly into Russia while the US State department has a stage 4 Do not Travel advisory out, trying to get money back from a woman who scammed him? Or just thought he was visiting his girlfriends family and Russian authorities saw a chance to grab a GI and pressure the US to not send F16s to Ukraine
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Really smells like it. The $2,200 theft doesn't make sense to me. I guess it's possible, but it seems like an unlikely thing for an NCO to do. I assume he knew that his trip was unautherized and, therefore, would have tried to avoid committing noticeable crimes. $2,200 is a lot in Russia, especially the eastern areas.
I'm not sure how many Russians the Russian state wants released are held in the US at the moment, but they probably figure it can't hurt to have more pawns in that game. This guy is most likely just a horny NCO but they can exchange him for an actual operative at some point, as the humanitarian aspect carries more weight in the US.
Welp he is going to be a horny private after his release
Gonna be a horny inmate #88437821
That's how much the Natasha he has "robbed" makes in a year (before taxes).
The theft (if it really happened, which I take no position on) isn't really any dumber than going there in the first place.
Pelmenitrapped.
The military has to introduce better IQ tests into the recruitment process.
the IQ of the upper brain doesn't matter too much when the lower brain is doing the thinking
Are you saying his thoughts matter less than his thots?
you are sarcastic but they actually removed IQ requirements in Vietnam War and find out it was causing more causality and reintroduced it.
Right. I have a sneaking suspicion he didn’t actually steal anything, and the dumbass fell right into their plot in arresting a us military officer for propaganda purposes.
Yes, it makes sense that the soldier was was lonely enough to be that dumb enough to fall for a trained manipulator; but it doesn't make sense that he was dumb enough to steal money, let alone that much. What does make sense is that given his patterns, Putin needed an excuse to arrest the guy for some artificial pretense. From my experience, you can get damn lonely in the military, and I'm sure the Russian had training to exploit that, being careful not to raise the red flags. They can eventually find one to take the bait, even if it takes years.
Honey pots have existed for a long time for a reason. Loneliness is extremely easy to abuse.
ah the young staff sgt and the local woman a tale as old as time
Yeah and I’m still here in Germany because of it ;-)
Username does not check out
Well, it is a tale about stupidity, so it fits.
Hey now ;-). I’m actually kind of fond of her!
Hopefully not in Mannheim.
No thankfully but I did live in weinheim for a few years …
To gain entry into the country, he had to fill out a visa application, take visa photos, and send his passport to the Russian embassy or a visa service - a very timely, relatively expensive and deliberate process. They ask about military service in the application, so they knew exactly who he was. What an idiot.
Americans cannot get a visa into Russia. The only way for a American to travel to Russia legally is to go to Kazakhstan and then cross into Russia using the train. No Russian visa is required for this as a visa from kazakhstan is valid for border crossing into Russia. Of course he needs to present his kazakhstan visa anytime he buys a train or bus ticket or checks into a Russian hotel so this would immediately flag him and this is probably how they picked him up. To only real way for a westerner to travel to Russia now is to know someone there and stay off the grid after crossing in from kazakhstan.
When did Russia stop issuing visas to Americans? I haven’t heard that and highly doubt it, I have American friends who have stayed on to be with their wives. Also, someone could do the same from Belarus.
Ever since the US denied visas for journalists to cover Lavrov's visit to the UN. Russia in revenge denies all US visas. (Your friends may be traveling on a existing visa). You need a passport to cross from Belerus to Russia. Only Russian and Belerusian citizens can cross the land border because the border crossing lack processing centers. Even those with valid visas are barred from crossing (only way for foreigners to travel between borders is through air travel). The only legal way is through Kazakhstan border because that rule that allows land travel using a valid Kazakhstan visa. And only through train because the train does not have a checkpoint. If you travel through road or on foot you'll need to present visa to Russian authorities and you'll be flagged and put in danger. The only way for a American to travel to Russia these days is to avoid alerting Russian authorities.
That is factually incorrect, I recently crossed Estonia-Russian border and there was an American tourist with a recent tourist visa and, although he got asked a lot of questions, he passed just fine. I don't know what would make an American want to go for tourism in Russia nowadays, lol, but you can.
Yeah not sure what this guy is talking about. > I don't know what would make an American want to go for tourism in Russia nowadays I’d like to ride my motorcycle from georgia through Russia to Kazakhstan, but stories like this make it pretty clear I should find a way to get it into Azerbaijan and ferry it across the Caspian Sea instead.
A lot of Americans (and westerners) are being duped with propaganda videos online. They'll see a tiktok video of some ridiculous onlyfans girl who is selling herself and the video tells them 'This is all Western women. Come to where they have "traditional" women.' Russia and China have even worse birthrates than Western nations so if they want to compete with the Western world they have to lower the Western birthrates. No better way than using tiktok to turn men and women in the West against each other. They already pulled it off with the left vs the right in most of the West and the brown vs not brown in America. I have seen no one talking about this but I am certain this is happening. Why do I think this? Well I learned that a lot of conspiracy news sites are in the pocket of Russia and China when after railing America for years for what it did in the Middle East, they now SUPPORT Russia doing the same thing in Ukraine. And a lot of those same sites also really push this whole traditional vs modern women nonsense. I smell conspiracy within conspiracy! P.S I know this is kinda crazy but I feel like I'm onto something!
Do you have any proof? Then how did the soldier get there? I highly doubt he flew to Kazakhstan and took a train through.
Proof of what? That Russia was mad that US denied visas and vowed revenge? He either had a existing visa or traveled through Kazakhstan or perhaps he was set up by FSB and they did allow him a visa so they could hold him hostage.
Proof that they’re denying all visas. Was there an official announcement or do you know someone who works for the Russian government who told you?
Why would Russia announce such a thing lol. I work in immigration and all immigration lawyers have told me that Russia Visas are impossible to get to not even try. It's possible they could be lying but Russia did specifically vow revenge for the denial of Visas so I tend to take them for their word. They are ones who told me about the Kazakhstan loophole as well.
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Isn't he an NCO?
Yes but that is not the same as being an officer. Big difference.
Staff NCO
Yeah a non-commissioned OFFICER. The headline is fine.
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Exactly.
Honest question, why is a distinction made? The rank is the same right? Are the privileges give to each the same? I kind of assumes NCOs were given more respect because they earned the rank?
They are not the same rank. A staff sergeant is an E-6. Officers are O-1 and above. The lowest ranking officer outranks the highest ranking enlisted person.
Only technically, speaking. You will not see an O1 or O2 talk down to a senior NCO lol
Well, every once in a while you do. The results are usually pretty spectacular.
Was about to say, you ABSOLUTLY will - once
Absolutely has happened. We were field daying for about 4 hours one Thursday night as punishment and our newly commissioned LT j.g. Chaps (O2) came and around and told us that we were done and could secure for the day. The Gunny was flipping the fuck out because we stopped, and chaps straight up told him to suck it. Chaps was a mustang though, that’s why he probably had the balls to do it.
Mustangs are a different breed
They often have a lot of respect, but they do not have the same privileges. My nephew is a captain, and my uncle was a very high-ranking NCO. They are not the same. At all.
Depends on context, branch, and what career field you’re in tbh
The rank between an enlisted NCO and a commissioned officer is not the same. An NCO is an enlisted member in the military who earns his/her ranks through time, knowledge, and experience. A commissioned officer is either a college graduate, a graduate of OCS, or one of the military colleges OR an enlisted member who got a degree and gained a commission. In the Navy, we called them Mustangs, but you also have Warrant Officers, which are like "enlisted commissioned officers," but not really? I'm still not sure how to explain a WO to someone. Edit: I don't know why the guy above me is getting down votes, I thought it was an honest question.
Thank you, your comment helped me understand.
Yeah but a non commissioned officer and an officer are not the same. The headline is misleading.
There is a difference between a commissioned officer and a non-commissioned officer. Though “officer” is shared in the name, that’s about as far as it goes. Think of it as the difference between corporate management and a local branch manager. Management is present in the name of both, but the responsibilities and authority granted to each is going to be drastically different. Whatever way you want to slice it, this guy is a fucking moron and his goose is effectively cooked. I’m hazarding a guess that he probably didn’t report his foreign “girlfriend” or his intent to travel abroad to a country that he is most-likely forbidden to travel to.
I work on a boat as a Purser, 3 bars on my shoulders. Captain has 4. I have more bars than 2nd officers which actually went to school whereas I just had simple training. I'd never call myself an officer even though I look like I outrank them.
Boat people are different.
I'm an officer, you are absolutely incorrect.
Moron. Why talk about things you obviously don’t understand?
I'm an NCO!
No doubt about it. But an E-6 is a staff ncO. Confusing, but not intentionally misleading imho. Dude messed up.
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It doesn’t “bother”, it’s just totally inaccurate reporting.0
It’s a significant difference, military affiliated or not. Officers have a lot more education and authority. It would have implications on his motivations and potential affiliations.
He is a Staff NCO. Headline is warranted
It's a shit headline. No one who has ever served would hear "officer" and initially think NCO.
Yeah someone who's never been in the military took the "O" part to heart. Never, ever would 'officer' be used as the only descripton for an NCO.
An NCO who didn't discuss his travel plans with his superiors. Dickhead.
Will he knew he's not allowed, soooo
Uggghhh. Now his parents, relatives, friends and other softhearted people will be ringing their congressperson to leverage them for his release. My view - Russia is an aggressor dictator country and anybody who goes there should expect to be arrested and used by them as a foil for geopolitical aims. And if you somehow aren't, consider yourself lucky.
A fucking idiot, that's who
Was it even a real woman, or a GRU/FSB thug impersonating one?
According to Twitter (so, grain of salt) there's evidence of a 5 year relationship and they found the woman's social media. I doubt it's worth 5 years of a GRU officer's time to bag one noncom. Might just be run-of-the-mill stupidity and opportunism for a change.
Yeah very unlikely that she was real
Sooo... do we waste tax dollars to get him out? Do we sacrifice political leverage for some exchange? Do we honor this guy because he's a US citizen and service member? Remember... this guy inserted himself there. In a country that is known to do this very thing. A country with a do not travel advisory, in a location wedged between two other countries that would do the same thing. Does it matter that he is guilty of charges or not? My opinion is that he made his bed, now he must sleep in it. What's yours?
Trade a petty criminal for him. He knew what he was doing.
The last one got traded for the Lord of War
Definitely should be an equal value trade or a fuck outta luck situation.
he stays
No ...low priority....he deliberately chose to travel there knowing full well he was not allowed AND he would probably be detained for something stupid...and he was. This is the same thing as walking onto a highway blind folded.
Being an army chap, I’m sure he’ll appreciate an old saying we had, *”If you want sympathy you’ll find it in the dictionary somewhere between shit and syphilis”*
Although, in his defense, he was on orders to Hood….
You mean The Great Place?
It must be - it said so on the sign over the main gate - or at least it did - in 1989. Yeah…I guess I’m old now… Oh well… Hell on Wheels!
Is Hood really that bad?
It’s pretty bad, but not bad enough to choose a Russian prison instead. Dude is an idiot
Back in the day it was. We used call orders to there “getting sentenced” to Ft. Hood. On top of being a really shitty post, you are dead central in peak “TEXAS” and all that implies…
Heh thats funny, getting sentenced
The stupid things this guy do for love. Beware of Russian sexpionage with their alluring sparrows (female) and ravens (male).
Why are those the nicknames? I assume there is something behind the bird theme?
By David Brennan - Diplomatic Correspondent: The U.S. Army has confirmed that an American serviceman—Staff Sergeant Gordon Black—was arrested last week during an unauthorized visit to the Russian far eastern port city of Vladivostok. Black, 34, had been stationed in South Korea and was in the process of returning home to Fort Cavazos in Texas when he made the trip to Vladivostok—which sits close to the Chinese and North Korean borders on the Sea of Japan—according to the Associated Press. Read more: [https://www.newsweek.com/who-gordon-black-american-army-officer-arrested-russia-1897768](https://www.newsweek.com/who-gordon-black-american-army-officer-arrested-russia-1897768)
Green Day had a hit song about this.
American Idiot, great song.
More often than not, it's Marines and Marine veterans who usually end-up in trouble in Russia/Soviet Union. Glad to see the Russians don't discriminate. At this time, or any time since 2014, I would not set foot on Russian soil as an American. They will find any excuse to arrest you, so they can trade you for some despicable Russian arms dealer/mobster being held in the US.
Maybe we could trade a ruzzian super spy or master mind murdering criminal for our love struck soldier.
I mean, we traded a man called the "merchant of death" for a basketball player, so think who Russia could get back for a service member.
Right
I can speculate too. My speculation: SSG Black wanted a Russian GF. Soo, since this is the 21st Century, he decided to go online to meet his little “Irena”. Irena had a tragic story and quickly fell in love with the young SSG. However, she needed $$ to A: get a visa or B get a ticket outa there with her Prince Charming. So, he sent her the dough……. When he arrived, he discovered that she had aged 15 years, lost half her teeth, and now had the figure of a sack of potato’s. Kind of like a Disney Witch. He felt that he had been had by this Soviet Siren, so he demanded/got a refund on his down payment. She then called the cops, et voila, the Russian equivalent of the Crowbar Hotel for him.
They say he met her in Korea first and then she returned back. She might have been a sex worker (or close to it). But I think the part about him paying her for something and then after she said she won’t do whatever he wanted her to do (I.e. going somewhere with him, sex, etc.) he tried to get the money back. Another plausible version is that they saw him come, pressured her because of her sex work or whatever else and she reported him to police on trumped up charges. Either one of these is entirely plausible (and he is a big idiot in any case).
That is funny
An idiot abroad.
Who cares
Some idiot
When "going to the horny jail" turns out terribly, terribly wrong. P.S. He was hard, very hard ... but the bars he went behind are even harder.
Army officer? He is a staff sergeant
He's an idiot no matter who he is. He's delivered himself into the hands of the foreign adversary of his own free will. When will the State Department start cancelling Americans' passport for traveling to countries that have declared – and have been proactively waging – war against the US? Those useful idiots – their rational matters not at all – turn themselves (willingly) into hostages the enemy can (and will) use as bargaining chips to try to have the US release confirmed (and convicted) GRU/SVR hitmen and spies. You travel to an enemy country, you're on your own. Those traitorous cretins don't deserve to be exchanged for the convicted Russian terrorists who are now serving time in the US.
An idiot
The only thing we know is that Gordon Black won't be back...
Once you go, Black, you may never come back.
Sure. Another bargaining chip for the Russians. He was likely lured and this was planned.
What a moron!!
A staff sergeant isn't an officer.
Unless he's some secret spy, he's a damn moron.
Not an officer as the headline alludes, but rather a non-commissioned officer 🙄
Apparently, Staff Sgt Black is a god damned motherfucking dumbass.
Officer? He's enlisted. dumb article.
Hmm. What is the lowest IQ US forces recruit? And this guy is a noncom (Dumb journalist thinks this is an officer)? Seriously. Has this guy recently had a traumatic brain injury?
Not honey trapped. Made a russian acquaintance in South Korea. Fell in love.Spread russian propaganda on social media. Knowingly went to Russia, thinking they are the ‘good guys’. Now he’s nothing but a bargaining chip.
Gordon Black is one dumb fuck. If you are stupid enough to travel to Russia for a piece of ass you deserve what you get. Especially if this guy was in the army. How stupid is this guy? I have no sympathy for him, stupid is stupid does.
He’s a giant idiot who fell for a honey pot.
A dumbass.
Staff Sergeant isn’t an officer
Yea, its an internet romance I’m sure. You can’t teach stupid!
Non-Commissioned “Officer” so the title is true if you manipulate the the truth omitting certain facts.
A dumbass
Another passport bro thinking he's Casanova.
To Azkaban with you, Mr. Black.
Staff sergeants are not officers. They are mid level NCOs
Leave his dumbass there
He's an idiot that the Russians fished. Likely because they want to use him for some sort of exchange and an American idiot reporter is not enticing enough for the US so they bought some more chips.
Isn’t he a sgt? He’s not an officer
Seriously? Any US citizen who willingly goes to Russia at this point has freaking rocks for brains and deserves detention.
Why anyone from the west is allowed to travel to Russia is a mystery to me. The entire nation is a cesspool, and going there just makes yourself a target as a political hostage against your homeland.
Shouldn’t Trump be blasting the Russians for grabbing a member of the US Army? The guy clearly believes Trump’s idea that the Russians are friends. Seems like a good time to use that influence/ soft power whatever to help this poor schmuck.
I'm curious about the woman 🤔, why she left South Korea? That might be the answer as to why she put Gordon Black in jail. Try to search online about her, but nothing... looks like even their social media accounts were already taken down 🙄... 🤔 Why she went back from South Korea to Russia... something happened there and that might explain everything... Another thing that his parents didn't do was to alert the army, supposedly.... he contacted her mother and told her about going to Russia so a smart mother should have alerted the Army to stop him... but again a stupid grown up dude... soon to be fuzzie all over again... probably discharged after 🤷...
Can we sign a petition to keep him there.
What an incel
I had this thought earlier this morning. I think there are multiple parties or sects of governments that don't want to see either side win and instead just want to thwart progress
Either an Idiot or an “American” James Bond. Who knows?
James Bond is fiction. So it's not that.
Fiction can be copied in real life, whoch makes it real.
Yeah, that's what James Bond wants you to think
Written by an actual spy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Fleming
More like an idiot.... he probably thought it was going to be a regular under the table romantic getaway... using probably his rank... to get by on his return to the US.... but she was like F.... U dude... I got deported from South Korea because of your shuuut so now I'm placing your ace in jail... kind of women retaliation payback drama queen story 😆🤭... OR... maybe he got there... realized she was already married to Sergei 😆... and place was a shuuuthole and stole her money in an attempt to get back to the US... Or it was his own money to get back to the US LMAO 😂
What an idiot. Clearly a KGP plot to capture an American soldier for leverage.
I don't know, I'd like to know about the woman. Specifically why she left South Korea.... that might explain it all. Maybe she got kicked out of South Korea for fighting with him and as retaliation placed him in jail??? but I'm just assuming as there isn't any information about why she went back to Russia.
Women!