An American who is in Russia on a six-month tourist visa as an English teacher has been sentenced to 10 days in prison for allegedly breaking into a children’s library while under the influence, state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday. was sentenced.
William Nykum was discovered Friday at the library after breaking a window and breaking into the library, the Associated Press reported. According to the British publication, the Russian newspaper Izvestia reported that there was surveillance camera footage of Naikum entering the children’s library half-naked. Daily Mirror.
Naikam was staying with an acquaintance during his stay in Russia, but it is unclear when he entered the country.
His arrest on suspicion of hooliganism comes amid rising tensions between Russia and the United States, centered on Russia’s war in Ukraine, and growing concerns about Americans being held in Russia.
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The children’s library where American William Nykam was arrested was located in Moscow. This photo shows a view of Red Square on April 29, 2023, with the History Museum on the right and the Kremlin Towers in the background. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlyanichenko, File)
On Monday, U.S. officials said the U.S. military chief of staff said: Gordon Black, 34, was also detained in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok on suspicion of stealing from his Russian girlfriend, whom he met while stationed in South Korea.
Black was on his way back to Fort Cavazos, Texas. Instead, officials said Mr. Black, who is married, traveled to Russia to meet his longtime girlfriend.
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Photo shows the view from an observation point in the Russian port city of Vladivostok on September 13, 2023. Gordon Black was taken into custody last Thursday. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)
Officials said the Russian woman, who lived in South Korea, had some kind of domestic dispute or argument with Black last fall. After that, she left Korea. It is not clear whether she was deported or what role, if any, South Korean authorities played in the matter.
Officials also said Black, an infantryman, did not inform his unit that he was going to Russia and did not receive permission to go there. They said he was effectively on leave as he left South Korea to be reassigned to Fort Cavazos.
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However, it is unclear whether U.S. military personnel are specifically prohibited from traveling to Russia, although the State Department has strongly advised U.S. citizens not to travel to Russia.
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 in Russia. They are two Americans. The U.S. government has determined that the two were unfairly detained and is proceeding with negotiations for their release.
On April 23, 2024, at the First Appeals Court in Moscow, American journalist Evan Gershkovitch, arrested on suspicion of espionage, was held in a cage after a hearing to consider his appeal against an extension of his pre-trial detention. Make a heart shape with both hands. . (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP)
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Others detained include musician Travis Leake, who has lived in Russia for many years and was arrested last year on drug-related charges. Mark Vogel, a teacher in Moscow, was also sentenced to 14 years in prison on drug charges. and dual nationals Ars Kurmasheva and Ksenia Havana.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
