Megan Black said her husband’s trip to Russia was “ill-advised” but simply part of an extramarital affair. Black’s mother said she thought he had been set up by his girlfriend.

The wife of Gordon Black, the American soldier detained on theft charges in Russia, said he traveled there because he was having an affair and was not involved in “geopolitical intrigue.”

Megan Black is in the process of divorcing her husband and called on Russian authorities through a statement from her attorney, Brett Pritchard, to release him to provide comfort to their 6-year-old daughter.

She said she had no knowledge of his trip to Vladivostok in eastern Russia until an Army investigation branch official contacted her asking for information on what was at first a missing person inquiry, and only learned about the details of the trip after NBC News broke the story of his detention Monday.

“Nevertheless, Megan Black firmly believes that Mr. Black’s decision to travel to Russia, while ill-advised, was motivated by entirely personal reasons involving an extra-marital affair,” her lawyer said in the statement Thursday.