US soldier detained in Russia travelled through China without clearance- Army

A U.S. soldier who has been detained in Russia travelled to the Russian city of Vladivostok through China without clearance from the military, the U.S. Army said on Tuesday.

Staff Sergeant Gordon Black, who enlisted in the Army as an infantryman in 2008, had been assigned to Camp Humphreys in South Korea most recently and was set to return to Fort Cavazos in Texas, the U.S. Army statement said.

"Instead of returning to the continental United States, Black flew from Incheon, Republic of Korea through China to Vladivostok, Russia, for personal reasons," the Army added.