Brittney Griner, a US basketball star, was arrested in Russia in 2022 for marijuana possession and later freed in a prisoner swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Brittney Griner was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on February 17, 2022, on drug smuggling charges.

Brittney Griner was detained in Russia in 2022 for carrying e-cigarette cartridges containing cannabis oil.

Brittney Griner was released from Russian prison in December 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia.

The Biden administration determined that Brittney Griner was wrongfully detained in Russia.

Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia for possessing cannabis oil in an electronic cigarette case, which led to her detention and subsequent legal proceedings.

Brittney Griner played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian league since 2015.

Brittney Griner was detained in Russia after hashish oil was found in her luggage at a Moscow airport.

Brittney Griner plays for the Phoenix Mercury.

Viktor Bout was serving a 25-year sentence in the US for conspiring to kill US citizens and aiding a terrorist organisation before being released in exchange for Brittney Griner.

Brittney Griner was detained in Moscow, Russia, for allegedly possessing cannabis oil.

Brittney Griner is 31 years old.

Brittney Griner was detained in Russia for possessing e-cigarette cartridges containing cannabis oil.

Brittney Griner faced a maximum prison sentence of 10 years for smuggling drugs into Russia.

Brittney Griner is advocating for the release of Paul Whelan and other wrongfully detained Americans after her own release from a Russian prison.

Brittney Griner, an American basketball star, was released from a Russian penal colony as part of a prisoner swap deal, in which the US exchanged her for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms trafficker.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Brittney Griner was being wrongly detained in Russia.

Brittney Griner, a US basketball star, was arrested in Russia in 2022 for marijuana possession and later freed in a prisoner swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout.

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Content: Brittney Griner freed from Russian prison in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout

The US and Russia have exchanged jailed US basketball star Brittney Griner for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” officials said.

The swap was confirmed by US officials with direct knowledge of the negotiations ahead of an expected White House announcement, the Associated Press reports.

Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose months-long imprisonment on drug charges brought unprecedented attention to the population of wrongful detainees.

She was arrested in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage - but she maintained it was an honest mistake.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed on Thursday morning they had already spoken by phone with Griner and she is said to have been in good spirits.

In a celebratory tweet, Mr Biden said Griner, a native of Houston, Texas, is on a plane home and is safe.

The Russian foreign ministry said it traded Griner for Russian citizen Viktor Bout, a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the US Justice Department once described as one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers.

Bout, whose exploits inspired a Hollywood movie, was serving a 25-year sentence on charges that he conspired to sell tens of millions of dollars in weapons that US officials said were to be used against Americans.

The deal, the second such exchange in eight months with Russia, procured the release of the most prominent American detained abroad.

The dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, however, did not include the release of Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges.

Mr Whelan's family and the US government say the accusations against him are baseless. He was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison.

Griner pleaded guilty in July, though still faced trial because admitting guilt in Russia’s judicial system does not automatically end a case. She acknowledged in court she possessed the canisters, but said she had no criminal intent and said their presence in her luggage was due to hasty packing.

Her status as an openly gay Black woman, locked up in a country where authorities have been hostile to the LBGTQ community, infused racial and gender dynamics into the picture and made each development a matter of global importance.

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Brittney Griner was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on February 17, 2022, on drug smuggling charges.

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A court in Moscow has extended the detention of WNBA player Brittney Griner, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS

Griner, 31, was detained at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 and arrested on drug smuggling charges. Despite being one of the WNBA’s most recognizable athletes, the basketball player’s detainment in Russia thus far has had some refer to her as a political hostage, due to it preceding Russia’s increased tensions with the United States over the invasion of Ukraine.

As MADAMENOIRE previously reported, Russian authorities claim the basketball star’s luggage contained vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis.

CNN noted the situation’s more recent development and that according to TASS “The court granted the request of the investigation and extended the period of detention of the U.S. citizen Griner until May 19.”

Tom Firestone, a former U.S. Justice Department legal resident advisor to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, shared with ESPN that delay for more investigation time in Griner’s case is standard in Russia and that the player could be held without trial anywhere from 12-18 months.

If found guilty, the Phoenix Mercury player faces up to 10 years in Russian prison.

While the situation may seem bleak, Griner has received tons of support from those anticipating her safe return.

A Change.org petition created by sports writer Tamryn Spruill now has 64,192 signatures.

On March 7, Griner’s wife Cherelle penned a message on social media to the basketball player that read,” We love you babe! People say ‘stay busy.’ Yet, there’s not a task in this world that could keep any of us from worrying about you. My heart, our hearts, are all skipping beats every day that goes by. I miss your voice. I miss your presence. You’re our person! There are no words to express this pain. I’m hurting, we’re hurting. We await the day to love on you as a family ♥.”

We’ll keep you updated as this story progresses.

RELATED CONTENT: “Freeing Brittney Griner From Russian Detainment Could Be A ‘Very Difficult’ Task”

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Brittney Griner was detained in Russia in 2022 for carrying e-cigarette cartridges containing cannabis oil.

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WNBA Star Detained in Russia for 130 Days 7 / 1 Trial
Olympic gold medalist and WNBA Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February on suspicion of carrying e-cigarette cartridges containing cannabis oil, shortly after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and has been detained in Russia for months.
Griena appeared briefly through the courthouse during a closed preliminary court hearing on the 27th; her legal team revealed to the media that the judge had ordered Griena to be detained during the trial.
Her lawyer, Alexander Boikov, said the next hearing was scheduled for July 1, when the trial would officially begin.
Griena, handcuffed and escorted by four security guards and a police dog, did not answer reporters' questions during her brief appearance.
She has been held in Russian custody for 130 days, and her detention has been extended several times, and her request to return to her country of detention has been denied.
At the hearing on the 27th, no US embassy officials were seen, and the embassy representative said that the US was told that the hearing was a "closed executive meeting" and that embassy personnel were not allowed to attend.
The embassy stated that U.S. officials planned to attend the formal trial.
She was arrested on February 17 and faces criminal charges of smuggling drugs into Russia, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years if convicted.
Since few details of her detention have been made public, it has sparked speculation that the Russians are trying to use her as a bargaining chip.
There is news that Russia wants to exchange Gerina for Viktor Bout, an arms dealer known as the "merchant of death," who is currently in U.S. custody.
Russian state media TASS reported on the exchange between Gretina and Bout, noting that an official source had confirmed the discussions.
Like many WNBA players, she played in overseas leagues during the off-season in the United States to earn more money, and in recent years she played for the Russian league UMMC Ekaterinburg.
Gerina ’ s current dangerous situation has caused much concern and concern in the United States, with some worried that a public discussion of the case and a strong demand for her release could make her a more advantageous bargaining chip for Russia.
More than a dozen human rights groups recently wrote to President Biden urging him to urgently address the case.
In early May, the Biden administration announced that Gerina had been wrongly detained by the Russian government, signaling that the United States would actively seek her release and return home.
“The Presidential Envoy ’ s Office of Hostage Affairs will lead an interdepartmental team to secure Griena ’ s release, ” the State Department said.
The Russian Embassy, Biden.
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The average price of electric vehicles is 22% more expensive than last year.
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The United States intends to provide more medium and long-range missiles to Russia … NATO response force expanded by 7 times
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Brittney Griner was released from Russian prison in December 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia.

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Brittney Griner Is Ready to Tell Her ‘Unfathomable’ Story in New Memoir

The two-time Olympic gold medalist will finally tell the story of her Russian detainment.

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Ahead of her return to the WNBA, Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner has confirmed that she will tell the true story behind her wrongful detainment in Russia. According to The Associated Press, on Tuesday, the eight-time all-star announced that she is working on a memoir about her imprisonment. It is currently scheduled for release in spring 2024.

In February 2022, Griner was stopped in a Moscow airport when the police said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. The WNBA champion was charged with drug smuggling and possession. After a short trial, the basketball star was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in prison. Just as she was beginning her sentence in a labor camp, in December 2022 the U.S. and Russia conducted a prisoner exchange, with Griner coming home, while convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout was released into Russian custody.

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“That day (in February) was the beginning of an unfathomable period in my life which only now am I ready to share,” Griner said in a statement released by Alfred A. Knopf.

When she was arrested, Griner was headed back to Russia to join UMMC Ekaterinburg, the professional team she played for there. Most top WNBA stars play overseas the rest of the year, as they don’t earn much money competing in the United States.

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“The primary reason I traveled back to Russia for work that day was because I wanted to make my wife, family, and teammates proud,” she said. “After an incredibly challenging 10 months in detainment, I am grateful to have been rescued and to be home. Readers will hear my story and understand why I’m so thankful for the outpouring of support from people across the world.”

The two-time Olympic gold medalist went on to say that she hopes “her book would raise awareness of other Americans detained overseas.” In December 2022, the Baylor alum announced on Instagram that she planned to play during the upcoming season, writing, “I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon.”

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In February, Griner re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury for a one-year deal. She will make her 2023 season debut on the road on Friday, May 19 against the Los Angeles Sparks.

The Biden administration determined that Brittney Griner was wrongfully detained in Russia.

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US officials: Brittney Griner considered wrongfully detained

By ERIC TUCKER and MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has determined WNBA star Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained in Russia, meaning the U.S. will more aggressively work to secure her release while the legal case against her plays out. That’s according to two U.S. officials who spoke Tuesday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Griner was detained at an airport in February after Russian authorities said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing traces of cannabis oil. U.S. officials previously stopped short of classifying the Phoenix Mercury player as wrongfully detained. The president of the WNBA players’ union says it’s time for Griner to “come home.”

The Associated Press

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Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia for possessing cannabis oil in an electronic cigarette case, which led to her detention and subsequent legal proceedings.

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Content: Greiner Appears in Court: No intention to smuggle drugs into Russia
U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner said she had no intention of smuggling drugs into Russia, adding that although the United States had warned her not to come, she was determined not to let her Russian team down.
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A two-time Olympic gold medalist who won the U.S. women ’ s professional basketball (WNBA) championship and had previously played in Russia, she was detained in February just days before Moscow launched its assault on Ukraine.
She was charged with drug smuggling in possession of an electronic cigarette case containing cannabis oil and appeared in court in Khimki, a suburb of Moscow.
She said in court today that she still did not understand how the cigarette case was placed in her bag.
"I didn't think or plan to bring banned substances into Russia," said Mr. Greiner, who was wearing a WNBA Phoenix Mercury T-shirt and black basketball pants.
She added, “I didn ’ t mean to violate Russian law, ” adding that she was“ very hasty in packing. ”
She added that she did not intend to use the banned substances in Russia: "I will not do anything to harm my team."

Brittney Griner played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian league since 2015.

Brittney Griner was detained in Russia after hashish oil was found in her luggage at a Moscow airport.

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Content: Brittney Griner: American women’s basketball superstar detained in Russia

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Brittney Griner, one of America’s most decorated women’s basketball players, has been detained by the Russian Federal Customs Service after it said it discovered vape cartridges that contained hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow.

The Customs Service confirmed in a statement issued on Saturday that the detainee in an incident last month at Sheremetyevo airport was a professional basketball player who played in the Women’s National Basketball Association and had also won two Olympic gold medals with the United States, but did not release the player’s name.

Related: Russia’s NHL hero Alex Ovechkin has a rare chance to hit Putin where it hurts

Russia’s state-run Tass news agency identified the player as Griner, a seven-time All-Star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury who helped lead Team USA to gold at the Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games, citing a law enforcement source.

According to the Customs Service statement, drug-sniffing dogs in the airport’s customs area indicated the possible presence of narcotic drugs in the player’s carry-on baggage following her arrival on a flight from New York. A subsequent search of the luggage led to the discovery of the cartridges, a criminal violation under Russian law that carries a sentence of five to 10 years.

The Customs Service also released a video on Saturday in which the airport security services are seen going through the luggage of a passenger identified as Griner.

In a statement to the Guardian, Griner’s agent Lindsay Colas said: “We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA.

“As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”

The WNBA said in a release that Griner has the league’s “full support” and “our main priority is her swift and safe return to the United States”.

The Mercury echoed those sentiments in a statement issued later Saturday, saying they were “in constant contact” with Griner’s family and their main concern was the player’s safe return.

The 31-year-old Griner, who led Phoenix to the franchise’s third ever title in 2014 and a surprise return to the WNBA finals in October, has also played for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the offseason since 2015, helping the Russian club to three domestic titles and EuroLeague Women championships in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Nearly 90 of the WNBA’s 144 rostered players have spent time playing overseas during this offseason, where the earnings from their foreign clubs often dwarf what they make in the United States. Griner’s annual salary with UMMC of more than $1m per year is roughly quadruple the WNBA’s league maximum of about $228,000.

It is unclear how long Griner has been detained as Saturday’s statement said only that her arrest took place some time in February. She last played for UMMC on 29 January before the league took a two-week international break for Fiba World Cup qualifying and has been inactive on social media since 5 Feburary.

News of Griner being detained comes as Russian forces continue to bomb civilian targets on the 10th day of its invasion of Ukraine and amid heightened tensions between Moscow and the rest of the world. The US president, Joe Biden, has condemned the invasion of Ukraine and pushed a raft of sanctions with other world leaders against Moscow, which he says have left Putin isolated.

On Saturday, the US state department urged US citizens to leave Russia immediately, re-issuing its travel advisory.

Earlier Saturday, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, held an hour-long video call with United States senators in which he called for more support to defend his country from Russia’s invasion.

Rick Scott, a Republican, called for stronger measures against both Russia and its ally Belarus, tweeting that the US should take “EVERY action to destroy their economies”.

Griner is not the first US citizen to have been held in custody by Russian authorities as tensions between the countries have soared, prompting accusations by American officials that Moscow is using the detentions as bargaining chips for a potential prisoner exchange.

In January, Russian officials announced that US teacher Marc Fogel was earlier arrested in a Moscow airport with marijuana and cannabis, accusing the teacher of smuggling drugs into Russia and distributing them among students on a “large scale”.

That revelation followed the detention of two US Marines in separate incidents: Trevor Reed, who was charged with attacking two Russian police officers in a drunken brawl, and Paul Whelan, who was jailed after being convicted on espionage charges.

John Sipher, a national security analyst and veteran of the CIA’s clandestine service, pointed to the “decimated” state of the US embassy in Russia as a complicating factor in Griner’s case.

“There’s been a number of tit-for-tat expulsions over spy cases and the ambassador has been kicked out, so the embassy is under quite a bit of pressure with this crisis,” Sipher said Saturday in an interview on MSNBC. “I think it’s important to publicize her case because that’s the best thing that keeps her safe in this situation, because Russians have a tendency of not treating people very well who are in their custody.”

Griner, a 6ft 9in post player whose nose for the basket is matched only by her shot-blocking prowess, has played her entire nine-year WNBA career with the Mercury after an extraordinary four-year stint at Baylor University, where she led the Bears to an undefeated season and a national championship in 2012. She remains the only NCAA basketball player in history, male or female, to record 2,000 points and 500 blocked shots.

She has also been a trailblazer off the court in her own self-effacing style. Griner matter-of-factly acknowledged that she was a lesbian only days after Phoenix made her the No 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft – becoming one of the few out athletes in American sports at the time and arguably the most prominent – and later revealed that she had been silenced about her sexuality by her college coach over fears that it would hurt recruiting. (The coach did not deny the claim, saying that she was unable to respond specifically due to privacy concerns.)

One of only 11 players to have won NCAA, WNBA, EuroLeague and Olympic titles, Griner is widely regarded as one of the most dominant players of her or any generation.

Brittney Griner plays for the Phoenix Mercury.

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Brittney Griner returns, Dallas Wings set to face off Phoenix Mercury

When the Dallas Wings face the Phoenix Mercury at 7 p.m. Wednesday, it will be the first time the Mercury’s Brittney Griner steps on College Park Center’s floor since May 29, 2021. Since her last game in Arlington over two years ago, Griner has had to persevere through adversity.

She was detained in Russia after Russian officials allegedly found drugs in her luggage, according to The New York Times. Griner, who had planned to play in Russia professionally during the WNBA’s offseason, pleaded guilty to drug charges in July 2022, almost five months after she was first detained.

After 294 days of detention, Griner came home last December following a “prisoner swap” President Joe Biden agreed to with Russia. Currently, Griner is averaging 22 points and 8.8 rebounds a game.

At a Monday press conference, Griner said her return to the league has gone better than she expected and that she’s not as tired as she was in the first two games. “It's actually been going really well. I'm really happy,” she said.

After missing the entire 2022 season, Griner has bounced back. Her 22.0 points per game average ranks fourth in the league and her 8.8 rebounds per game ranks eighth. Despite her personal success, the Mercury has only won one of its first four games.

Phoenix’s last game, a 99-93 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Sparks left Griner dissatisfied, but she said the team is noticing where it’s making mistakes. “I think that's what makes it more frustrating, when you look at it it's not some complicated problem. It's something simple,” she said. “I'm glad it's simple, but it's frustrating.”

As the Mercury come to Arlington for a two-game trip, they’ll face a Dallas Wings team coming off two close road losses. Dallas (3-3) has won both of its home games and will look to build momentum against a struggling Mercury team.

Griner has roots in the area. She grew up in Houston and went to college at Baylor University. With the Wings being the only Texas WNBA team, games at College Park are a chance for her family to see her play.

“I got all my family in Houston coming. I have all my family from Little Rock, Arkansas, driving down. So it's gonna be a good time. Sorry if you can't find tickets. I may have took them off,” she said, chuckling.

Throughout her return to the league, Griner has seen support from all over the world. Earlier this season, she met a fan from Alaska in an autograph line in Los Angeles, and her wife said there were people from other countries in the stands cheering her on. Another fan started crying when they got to see Griner.

“It just goes to show how much they really care,” Griner said. “[They] invest in you as a person besides just the basketball player, how they really care about you. It just lets me know that I'm in the right organization and lets me know that I'm in the right place.”

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Isaac Appelt is a journalism senior. He started working at The Shorthorn in spring 2022.

Viktor Bout was serving a 25-year sentence in the US for conspiring to kill US citizens and aiding a terrorist organisation before being released in exchange for Brittney Griner.

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Inside Joe Biden’s Faustian pact with Russia to secure Brittney

Three weeks ago, the American basketball star Brittney Griner arrived at a Russian penal colony known for torture, beatings and slave labour to begin a nine-year sentence following her arrest at a Moscow airport in February for possession of vaping cartridges containing hashish oil.

But in a stunning twist on Thursday, Griner’s plight as an unwitting pawn in a high-stakes geopolitical struggle came to an abrupt end, as she arrived in Abu Dhabi from Moscow and boarded a plane home to reunite with her family. She landed in San Antonio, Texas, early Friday morning.

In exchange for Griner’s release, the US released Viktor Bout, a notorious arms trafficker who was serving a 25-year sentence for conspiring to kill US citizens and aiding a terrorist organisation.

The deal was met with jubilation from Griner’s family and supporters. But the controversial swap for Bout — as well as the exclusion of Paul Whelan, another US citizen imprisoned in Russia — also drew criticism and raised questions about how America’s adversaries might leverage arrests of its citizens in the future.

US officials began working toward Griner’s release as soon as she was apprehended in Russia in February, but the effort became more concentrated on prisoner swap negotiations once the State Department declared in May that she had been wrongfully detained.

In July, US secretary of state Antony Blinken and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov spoke on the phone for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. During the call, Blinken pressed Lavrov to accept a “substantial proposal” from Washington to release Griner and the former marine Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since 2018 on what the US and his family say are trumped-up espionage charges.

Americans had offered to free Bout, people familiar with the discussions said, but the Russians said they also wanted the release of Vadim Krasikov, a former colonel from Russia’s domestic spy agency who was convicted of murder in Germany last year.

In the ensuing months, officials said, Washington made a number of offers to Russia in an attempt to secure the release of Griner and Whelan.

However, Biden administration officials said that in recent weeks it became clear that Moscow would only accept a one-for-one swap. According to one senior administration official, “the choice was bringing Brittney Griner home right now or bringing no Americans home from Russia right now”.

Despite the Biden administration’s insistence that they had no choice but to exclude Whelan from the deal, Republican lawmakers and others denounced the decision, as well as facilitating the release of Bout, who is also known as “the merchant of death”.

“The Biden administration has allowed Viktor Bout, a dangerous arms dealer who was convicted of conspiring to kill American law enforcement, to walk free,” said Mike Rogers, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.

“This move to appease Vladimir Putin will only encourage further hostage taking by Russian security forces,” he added.

US officials described Biden’s choice as a painful one, adding that they would continue to work for Whelan’s release. Washington previously secured the release of Trevor Reed, another former marine, via a prisoner swap in April.

People familiar with Thursday’s prisoner exchange likened the episode to “a scene from the Cold War”, with Russian and American planes meeting on the tarmac at an airport in Abu Dhabi.

The Russian plane carrying Griner arrived first, one of the people said. American officials and people familiar with the events said the basketball star was upbeat on the tarmac, saying she was looking forward to returning home.

The Griner-Bout swap marks a rare instance in which the US and Russia have been able to find common ground since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sending the west’s relationship with Moscow to its lowest ebb since the Cuban missile crisis.

According to people familiar with the matter, the Americans and Russians directly negotiated the details of the swaps, with UAE officials including president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan helping to facilitate the mechanics of the transfer.

It is not unusual for third countries to aid in brokering international diplomatic agreements such as prisoner swaps between hostile countries.

Sheikh Mohammed and Putin discussed the matter when they met in Russia in October, and they spoke on the phone on Wednesday, people familiar with the meetings said. Yousef al-Otaiba, UAE ambassador to the US, was present for the exchange on Thursday and had helped to co-ordinate details on the American side.

On Thursday, some pro-Kremlin commentators hailed the swap as a return to diplomacy. “Everyone sees through this exchange that Moscow and Washington are holding secret negotiations and can make a deal,” Sergei Markov, a political scientist and former member of Russia’s parliament, wrote on Telegram. “And everyone hopes that means Moscow and Washington can make a deal to end the war in Ukraine.”

However, analysts and US officials said that while the breakthrough was a sign that the two sides could get things done when their interests align, it was not evidence of any larger thaw in relations. Biden administration officials added that the recent conversations with Russia about Griner and other prisoners were limited to the release of wrongfully detained Americans.

“The exchange doesn’t do anything to change the situation for bilateral relations. There are lots of issues where they are in open confrontation,” said Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

He said the otherwise dire state of relations between Russia and the west was thrown into sharp relief last week, when Moscow abruptly pulled out of talks on renewing the New Start treaty, the only remaining agreement governing the countries’ nuclear arsenals.

“This is a global stability issue: the last remainders of arms control are falling apart, which could lead to an arms race and a higher risk of dangerous incidents,” he said. “The trajectory we’re on is making that all the more likely.”

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Brittney Griner was detained in Moscow, Russia, for allegedly possessing cannabis oil.

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2023-06-26 12: 59: 18
A former Russian female basketball player will play in the WNBA Star Game.
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Brittney Griner, an American basketball player who has been imprisoned in Russia for 10 months, will play next month ’ s WNBA All-Star Game.
The 32-year-old basketball player was released from Russia to the United States six months ago.
In February last year, before Russia invaded Ukraine, he was detained in Moscow for allegedly possessing cannabis oil.
He was released earlier this year by a “prisoner exchange ” between Russia and the United States.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist, after returning to the United States, once again played for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA club, this year has played nine games for the Mercury since May, and is confirmed to be selected for the WNBA Star Game to be held in Las Vegas next month.
Greiner currently leads the WNBA in blocking, averaging 2.4 blocks per game.
This will be the ninth time Greiner has been selected to the star team eight times in the past. She was also selected as an honorary player last year, but she was still imprisoned in Russia and could not play.
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Brittney Griner is 31 years old.

Brittney Griner was detained in Russia for possessing e-cigarette cartridges containing cannabis oil.

Brittney Griner faced a maximum prison sentence of 10 years for smuggling drugs into Russia.

Brittney Griner is advocating for the release of Paul Whelan and other wrongfully detained Americans after her own release from a Russian prison.

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Content: Brittney Griner Asks Fans, Advocates to Write Letters to Paul Whelan: 'It's Our Turn to Support'

The WNBA star shared Whelan's mailing address and said, "I hope you'll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocate for other Americans to be rescued and returned to their families"

Brittney Griner has a request for her supporters this holiday season.

The WNBA star, who was released from Russian custody on Dec. 8, penned a handwritten letter to her Instagram followers on Wednesday morning, asking those who helped advocate for her safe return to do the same for Paul Whelan and other families of wrongfully detained loved ones.

"Thanks to the efforts of many, including you, I am home after nearly 10 months," Griner wrote. "You took time to show me you cared, and I want to personally take the time to write to you and say that your effort mattered."

Griner said the letters she received from fans and friends, through the #WeAreBG campaign, helped her "to not lose hope during a time" filled with "regret."

She described her feeling "vulnerable in ways I could have never imagined," in the letter.

The Phoenix Mercury center thanked those who wrote to her "from the bottom of my heart" and said that it was because of those communications of support that she "never lost hope" over the course of her detainment.

The letters were "bigger than uplifting" for the WNBA star, though. Griner explained that the thousands of messages she received showed her "the power of collective hands" and now, she hopes to help Whelan, the former U.S. marine who has been imprisoned in Russia for four years on espionage charges, and other detained Americans, come home.

"Together, we can do hard things," Griner wrote. "I'm living proof of that."

"My family is whole and now, thanks to you, we are fortunate to get to spend the holidays together," she wrote. "However, there remain too many families with loved ones wrongfully detained."

Griner explained, "Those families stood alongside you and all who supported the #WeAreBG campaign to bring me home, and it's our turn to support them. I hope you'll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocate for other Americans to be rescued and returned to their families."

Griner ended her letter by thanking fans once more, adding, "I hope your holiday season is full of joy and love."

She included Whelan's mailing address at the bottom of her note. He is currently receiving mail through the American Citizen Services Unit Consular, per the address.

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Griner's intention to help Whelan and other Americans was first confirmed by her agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, in an ESPN interview after her release. Colas said both Griner and her wife, Cherelle, plan to "raise attention" for other families with loved ones detained abroad.

When Cherelle spoke from the White House following the announcement of Brittney's return, she said, "Today my family is whole, but as you are all aware, there are so many families who are not whole."

She added that she will continue advocating for "getting every American home, including Paul, whose family is in our hearts today."

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Brittney Griner, an American basketball star, was released from a Russian penal colony as part of a prisoner swap deal, in which the US exchanged her for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms trafficker.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Brittney Griner was being wrongly detained in Russia.

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Court Upholds Conviction of Brittney Griner as WNBA Star Faces Years of Prison Time in Russia

Brittney Griner

A court in Russia rejected on Tuesday incarcerated WBA star Brittney Griner’s appeal of her 9-year prison sentence for carrying a small amount of hashish oil.

The court did rule to recalculate Griner’s prison sentence based on her pre-trial detention, according to The Associated Press. For every one day in custody before trial, she will get credited for 1.5 days in prison. That reportedly means she will spend about eight years in prison.

Griner, 32, is currently at a penal colony outside of Moscow, according to the AP.

She was arrested at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow on Feb. 17. She reportedly had less than a gram of cannabis oil inside vape canisters in her luggage. Griner, a center for the WBA’s Phoenix Mercury, had been returning to Russia, where she played in the offseason.

She reportedly testified that she did have the canisters in her luggage, but she said she did not mean to bring them. She packed them by accident, in a rush, Griner said.

The defense, which said Griner was prescribed the hashish oil to treat pain, had called the 9-year sentence excessive, adding that people in similar cases received an average of five years behind bars. A third of the defendants got parole, the defense argued.

Critics of the Russian regime say Moscow is only using Griner as a bargaining chip in international relations. She was arrested just days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“We are aware of the news out of Russia that Brittney Griner will continue to be wrongfully detained under intolerable circumstances after having to undergo another sham judicial proceeding today,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement released through the White House. “President Biden has been very clear that Brittney should be released immediately. In recent weeks, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to engage with Russia through every available channel and make every effort to bring home Brittney as well as to support and advocate for other Americans detained in Russia, including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan. The President has demonstrated that he is willing to go to extraordinary lengths and make tough decisions to bring Americans home, as his Administration has done successfully from countries around the world. The Administration remains in regular touch with representatives of the families, and we continue to admire their courage in the face of these unimaginable circumstances.”

The Biden administration has offered to release convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for the releases of both Griner and Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine convicted in an espionage case. The U.S. State Department spokesman said Whelan was “wrongfully detained,” according to CNN.

“There is such a human side to BG that a lot of people on the outside don’t know,” former USA Basketball head coach Dawn Staley told ESPN in a recent profile for Griner’s Oct. 18 birthday. “I wish that a lot of people were able to see that and could express themselves with the honesty that Brittney does.”

Staley coached Griner as part of the gold medal-winning US teams in the 2018 FIBA World Cup and the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Brianna Turner, a teammate on the Mercury, recalled joining teammates in a visit to Griner and Griner’s wife Cherelle Griner’s home.

“We played with their dogs, watched TV and reminisced more about our season,” she told ESPN. “BG nonchalantly had her most recent Olympic gold medal laying out on her coffee table, and I made sure to take a selfie with it as if I had just won gold and was standing on a podium. But that’s just the type of person BG is: humble and welcoming to those around her. I hold on so hard to those memories of that evening. It’s wild to think that I last saw her in person a year ago; her birthday is obviously so different this time around. I was able to send her a letter, though, and hopefully she will receive it on birthday. So many people that don’t personally know BG have so many various opinions about her. But I can honestly say BG is probably the warmest person I know. Her energy is infectious, and she is the first person willing to help someone in need.”

[Image via EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP]

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