Russia detains American citizen over drug-related allegations

An American national was arrested in Russia, reportedly over drug-related accusations

A U.S. citizen faced a ruling from the Ostankino District Court Saturday, mandating a two-month detention, according to the Moscow courts’ press service.

Robert Woodland Romanov is accused of preparing to participate in illegal drug trafficking while awaiting an official investigation, although specific allegations were not disclosed. 

The U.S. State Department acknowledged awareness of the recent detention of an American citizen, emphasizing the safety of U.S. citizens abroad as a top priority.

However, citing privacy concerns, they refrained from further comment.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a similar statement. 

Russian media pointed out the similarity between the accused individual’s name and that of a U.S. citizen previously interviewed by the popular daily Komsomolskaya Pravda in 2020. 

In the interview, the individual stated he was born in Russia’s Perm region in 1991, and later adopted by an American couple at the age of two.

He recounted traveling to Russia to reunite with his biological mother, an encounter that reportedly occurred during a television program in Moscow. 

Expressing his affinity for Russia, the man disclosed his decision to relocate and settle in the town of Dolgoprudny, adjacent to Moscow, where he worked as an English teacher at a local school. 

The arrest news emerges while Washington has been striving to secure the release of detained Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich.

The State Department confirmed last month that it had presented several offers, all of which were turned down by the Russian government. 

Source: AFP, Newsroom