Russian Court Begins Trial of US Soldier Arrested on Theft Charges

MOSCOW—A court in Russia’s far eastern city of Vladivostok on Thursday began the trial of an American soldier arrested earlier this year on charges of stealing. Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, flew to Vladivostok, a Pacific port city, to see his girlfriend and was arrested after she accused him of stealing from her, according to U.S. officials and Russian authorities. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported from the courtroom in the Pervomaisky District Court in Vladivostok that Mr. Black agreed to testify in the trial and will respond to the accusations against him later in the proceedings. The report also cited local police as saying that Mr. Black is cooperating with the authorities....