The soldier, a staff sergeant, is stationed in South Korea and was arrested on Thursday, according to a U.S. official.

By Lara Seligman

05/06/2024 03:16 PM EDT

Updated: 05/06/2024 03:38 PM EDT

The Russian government detained a U.S. soldier last week on charges of theft, according to two U.S. officials.

The soldier, a staff sergeant who is stationed in South Korea, was arrested last Thursday, said one of the officials, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive incident. The soldier had traveled to Russia to meet a woman, possibly his girlfriend, the official said.

The State Department is in touch with the Russian government about the case, the official said, adding that the soldier has been given a pretrial detention until July 1.

After this story was published, Army spokesperson Cynthia Smith confirmed that Russian authorities detained the soldier in Vladivostok on charges of “criminal misconduct.” The Army notified the soldier’s family, she said.

“The Russian Federation notified the U.S. Department of State of the criminal detention in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations,” Smith said in a statement. “Given the sensitivity of this matter, we are unable to provide additional details at this time.”

White House spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. is “aware of the case,” but would not comment further.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was “deeply concerned” about reports of the incident.

Russian President Vladimir “Putin has a long history of holding American citizens hostage. A warning to all Americans — as the State Department has said, it is not safe to travel to Russia,” McCaul said in a statement on social media.

NBC first reported the news.

Alexander Ward contributed to this report.