The detention of American basketball star Brittney Griner in Russia has significant political implications, with many believing she is being used as a "political pawn" in the fraught relationship between the US and Russia.

Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February 2022 for allegedly carrying vape cartridges with hashish oil, and her detention has been extended several times, with her trial postponed until July 7.

The US government has stated that Griner is being "wrongfully detained" and has called for her immediate release, with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris speaking with Griner's wife, Cherelle, to reassure her that they are working to secure Griner's release.

Griner's detention has sparked widespread outrage and calls for action from the US government, with many arguing that she is being held hostage by the Russian government.

The Russian government has denied that Griner's detention is politically motivated, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that she was detained for possessing "prohibited medication containing narcotic substances".

Despite this, many believe that Griner's detention is a bargaining chip for the Russian government, which is seeking to exchange her for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is currently imprisoned in the US.

Griner's experience in the Russian penitentiary system has been marked by isolation and uncertainty, with her family and supporters expressing concern for her well-being and safety.

The exchange of Griner for Viktor Bout has been seen as a significant development in the case, with many believing that it marks a major breakthrough in efforts to secure Griner's release.

Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges on July 7 and was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony.

The Russian jail where Griner was being held was described as having poor conditions, with Griner complaining that the beds in her jail cell were too small for her, given her height of 6'9".

The US government, including President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, made efforts to secure Griner's release, with Blinken stating that the US was prepared to provide every possible assistance to Griner and other detained citizens abroad.

After her release, Griner was found to have cut her trademark dreadlocks, which she did out of necessity due to the cold Russian winter, as she feared that they would freeze and make her sick.

The US government's efforts to free Griner were successful, with her being released in a prisoner swap between the US and Russia, in which the Biden administration handed over notorious international arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Griner's family expressed "sincere gratitude" to President Joe Biden and his administration for their efforts in bringing her home.

The US government's actions to secure Griner's release demonstrate the political implications of her arrest and the geopolitical tensions between the US and Russia.

Griner has been back to practicing basketball, and during her detainment and imprisonment in Russia, she was offered the chance to practice playing basketball, but it didn't feel right.

The entire basketball world is behind Brittney Griner, and she has had a lot of support from the NBA and WNBA.

The Biden Administration, as well as various members of Congress, were thanked by Cherelle Griner, Brittney's wife, for their efforts in bringing Brittney home.

Cherelle Griner also thanked Paul Whelan's family and expressed her desire to continue using her platform to bring Paul and all Americans home.

The US government continues to work aggressively to bring home all U.S. nationals who are held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, including those like Paul Whelan.

The White House has stated that the Russian Federation is wrongfully detaining Americans like Brittney Griner, and President Biden has been clear about the need to see all U.S. nationals released.

Griner's experience in the Russian penitentiary system had a significant impact on her physical health, as she had to endure harsh conditions, including cold temperatures, which forced her to cut her dreadlocks to prevent them from freezing.

The decision to cut her hair was made out of necessity, as Griner feared that her dreadlocks would freeze during the long Russian winter, and she would get cold and chilled every time she washed her hair.

After her release, Griner was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center's reintegration facility, where she received medical treatment and underwent extensive mental health evaluations.

The US government played a significant role in providing support to Brittney Griner during her readjustment to life after her release, with the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre describing her as an "inspiration" to the LGBT community.

The US government ensured that Brittney Griner and her family's well-being were prioritized and that all assistance available was offered in an appropriate manner.

Griner was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center for a routine evaluation after her arrival in the United States, as part of the government's efforts to support her readjustment.

The State Department official confirmed that the US government was focused on providing assistance to Griner and her family in a manner that respected their privacy.

The detention of American basketball star Brittney Griner in Russia has significant political implications, with many believing she is being used as a "political pawn" in the fraught relationship between the US and Russia.

Title:

Content: The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com.

American basketball star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia since February. She has been facing drug possession charges for carrying vape cartridges in her luggage that contained cannabis oil. The charges carry a potential sentence of up to 10 years in jail.

Griner pleaded guilty to the drug charges in Russian court Thursday, while stressing that she had packed in a hurry and not intended to break Russian law. Regardless of Thursday’s plea, observers have not expected Griner to receive justice in the Russian legal system.

Griner’s wife, Cherelle, has accurately called her a “political pawn” caught up in the fraught relationship between the U.S. and Russia amid the latter’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine. There should be little doubt that Griner’s detention is bigger than vape cartridges.

With frustrations increasingly being voiced by Griner’s family that President Joe Biden and his administration haven’t been doing enough to help her, Griner sent a letter to Biden on Monday asking for assistance for herself and other American detainees. For example, Paul Whelan, who also previously served in the Marines, was accused of being a spy and sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020.

“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” Griner wrote in her July 4 letter to Biden.

Marine veteran Trevor Reed knows a thing or two about what Griner and Whelan are going through. Reed was detained in Russia for three years before being released in April as part of a prisoner exchange.

“There is no justice in Russia,” Reed told CNN in June. “Brittney and Paul will not receive justice in Russia. They’re not going to receive a fair trial, they will not receive a fair investigation. They will be there as hostages until the United States gets them out.”

He added that Griner was likely to be treated worse in Russia because of her race and sexual orientation, saying that the country “systematically discriminates” against Black and LGBTQ+ people.

There is only so much the Biden administration can do with Griner in the custody of an authoritarian government known for making examples out of political prisoners, and likely looking for a bargaining chip as it continues its barbaric invasion of Ukraine. Though as demonstrated by Reed’s release, there are options. It must not take three years.

At the very least, for now, Biden and his team can control how they communicate and reassure Griner’s family. And on that front, it seems the administration had been coming up short.

Griner’s family and friends had criticized the Biden administration’s handling of her case, and called for the president to meet with them. On Wednesday, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris finally had a phone call with Cherelle Griner.

“The president called Cherelle to reassure her that he is working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whelan and other U.S. nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage in Russia and around the world,” the White House said in a statement after the call. “He also read her a draft of the letter the president is sending to Brittney today.”

That statement also noted that top administration officials have already had calls with Cherelle Griner in recent weeks, and said Biden has directed his national security team to stay in “regular contact” with the Griner family. A U.S. diplomat said they delivered Biden’s letter to Griner at Thursday’s proceedings.

Biden’s call with Griner’s wife was an initial step, and the ultimate goal must be a quick release for Griner and other political prisoners. There is much work left for the administration to do, including a continual commitment to assure Griner’s family that the U.S. is exploring all possible options to secure her release. And hopefully the attention will elevate the pressure to help return other Americans like Whelan as well.

“Write them, call them, annoy them, don’t leave them alone,” Reed said in June about pressuring federal representatives to act. “Tell them you want Brittney home and you want the rest of the Americans who are being wrongfully detained home, and you want it done now.”

Add us to the list of people looking to raise the pressure on the Biden administration to bring home wrongfully detained Americans like Griner, who are essentially hostages, and to bring them home quickly.

The BDN Editorial Board

The Bangor Daily News editorial board members are Publisher Richard J. Warren, Editorial Page Editor Susan Young, Assistant Editorial Page Editor Matt Junker and BDN President Todd Benoit. Young has worked...

Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February 2022 for allegedly carrying vape cartridges with hashish oil, and her detention has been extended several times, with her trial postponed until July 7.

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Content: - The Washington Times - Friday, July 1, 2022

As pressure mounts on President Biden to take more aggressive action to get Moscow to release jailed WNBA star Brittney Griner, the international chatter increasing points to a prisoner swap for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Russian media and Bout’s lawyer, Steve Zissou, say Russian officials want to secure Bout’s release and that Griner, who has been locked up in Russia since February, could be part of a deal.

“I would be surprised if any American was repatriated without Viktor Bout also being sent home to his family,” Zissou told The Washington Times.

Bout is serving a 25-year sentence in federal prison. He was convicted of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens, delivering anti-aircraft missiles, and providing aid to a terrorist organization, charges his lawyer disputes.

Another detained American, former Marine Paul Whelan, who was arrested in Russia on espionage charges in 2018, could also be part of a prisoner swap for Bout.

Mr. Zissou said the deal would likely have to include Bout. The lawyer met last month with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, who said that freeing Bout “was Russia’s number one priority,” according to Mr. Zissou.

Griner, meanwhile, made her first appearance in court on Friday and was accused of possessing “a significant amount of cannabis oil,” which is a banned substance in Russia. She faces likely conviction and a decade in prison when her trial resumes on July 7.

Griner, 31, was arrested at the airport in Moscow on Feb. 17 for allegedly carrying vape cartridges with hashish oil. She was visiting the country to play for a Russian basketball team after the conclusion of the WNBA season.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Griner is being held as a political pawn, The Associated Press reported.

“The facts are that the famous athlete was detained in possession of prohibited medication containing narcotic substances,” Peskov told reporters on Friday. “In view of what I’ve said, it can’t be politically motivated.”

Still, Russia’s desire to free Bout complicates matters for Mr. Biden, who is weathering intense criticism for failing to secure the release of Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Dozens of organizations, including women’s and LGBTQ groups, have pressed Mr. Biden to step up efforts to secure Griner’s release. They called on the president “to make a deal to get Brittney back home to America immediately and safely.”

While Bout’s lawyer disputes the charges against him, Bout was convicted of far more serious crimes than Griner’s drug charge, which could make it difficult for the Biden administration to agree to a swap.

Griner’s high-profile detainment comes at a historically difficult point in the diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Russia. Griner was arrested just days before Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to invade Ukraine on February 24.

The U.S. has condemned the invasion and responded by providing Ukraine with weapons and other support to defend itself from Mr. Putin’s forces.

With Griner in detention, Russian officials are now intensifying efforts to secure the release of Bout, whose targeting and conviction by the United States has long been viewed as an attack on Russian sovereignty.

Russian media is reporting that a swap for Bout is on the table.

“Currently, talks are underway on exchanging Bout for Griner,” Tass news reported, citing an unnamed Russian source.

Nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” Bout was convicted in 2011 in a U.S. government sting operation of planning to smuggle arms to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The witnesses hired to portray FARC told Bout the arms would be used to target U.S. military serving in Colombia.

Bout, 55, is about five years from completing his sentence and is in failing health, his lawyer said.

Mr. Zissou said he is trying to elevate the circumstances surrounding his client’s case to improve his appeal as a candidate for a prisoner swap.

The U.S. targeted Bout while he was living in Moscow and retired from running an air transport company that also smuggled arms from one country to another.

The U.S. government paid more than $10 million to criminals as part of the operation to catch Bout.

“Entrapment is exactly what happened,” Mr. Zissou said.

Mr. Zissou said exchanging Griner for Bout is “a no brainer,” because his client will be freed in a few years regardless.

Last week, Russian officials extended Griner’s pretrial detention by six months. With Russia’s acquittal rate in criminal cases at less than 1%, it’s unlikely she will be able to return to the U.S. without a prisoner exchange.

Pressure is also on Mr. Biden to also secure the release of Mr. Whelan, 52, who is serving a 16-year sentence in a Russian prison camp.

“It’s certainly conceivable that a swap for Whelan and Bout gets agreed to, and then at the end of Griner’s trial, if she’s convicted, she just gets pardoned and sent home,” Mr. Zissou said.

In a statement provided to The Times, the State Department declined to provide details about the talks to free Griner.

“We have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” a State Department spokesman said. “The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner. The U.S. government will continue to provide appropriate support to Griner and her family. We will continue to press for her release.”

• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.

Copyright © 2022 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

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The US government has stated that Griner is being "wrongfully detained" and has called for her immediate release, with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris speaking with Griner's wife, Cherelle, to reassure her that they are working to secure Griner's release.

Griner's detention has sparked widespread outrage and calls for action from the US government, with many arguing that she is being held hostage by the Russian government.

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Content: The problem is not just what happened to Brittney Griner. The problem is that we don’t know what is happening to Brittney Griner now. The WNBA superstar was allegedly caught with hashish oil in her luggage at a Russian airport and has been in custody for several weeks. For those first couple of weeks, it was as if no one noticed she was missing, no small feat for an athlete who is six foot nine and one of the most recognizable players in the history of the game. She also is also well-known in Russia, where she plays for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the WNBA off season. In 2021 she helped the Russian team win its fifth EuroLeague Women’s championship. (Many WNBA players hoop in Russia during the off-season, as they need to supplement their income, an injustice in and of itself.)

Almost certainly, instead of creating an immediate public outcry following her arrest, there were efforts behind the scenes to get her out of Russia, which, we know now, was preparing to invade Ukraine. The goal would have been to make this go away without provoking an international incident. Well, it’s too late for that now. There are online petitions and a predictable uproar given the anti-Putin sentiment in the States. Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, posted a picture of them together on Instagram as the news spread over the weekend. She thanked their fans and then wrote, “I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details. Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely.”

In other words, delicate negotiations to get Griner home are almost certainly ongoing in a situation that is spiraling. Griner is detained in Russia at a moment when US-Russian relations are at their worst since Ronald Reagan joked, “We begin bombing in five minutes.” When and how she gets home and how she is being treated right now are anyone’s guess. As basketball writer Tom Ziller put it, “We don’t have an idea as the public WNBA fandom where Griner is, or how she is doing, or how long she has been detained, or the circumstances of her custody, or what she knows about a timeline for being released, or what she’s being told. We don’t really know anything, and we don’t know whether she or those close to her know anything.”

Whether it started this way or not, we need to understand Griner as a political prisoner. It may have started with airport racial profiling and the idiotic war on cannabis. But now, by the nature of this perilous moment, she has become a chit, a leverage point, in a larger political war.

The WNBA and Griner’s team, the Phoenix Mercury, are being tight-lipped about the situation—as is the US State Department. But I did reach the coauthor of Griner’s 2014 memoir In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court, Sue Hovey. The former ESPN The Magazine executive editor told me: “Brittney Griner is one of the most resilient, mentally tough athletes I’ve ever met. When she led Baylor to a perfect season and the national championship in 2012, she did so while having to endure a torrent of vicious verbal attacks from opposing fans and online trolls. People forget that when she graduated from Baylor in 2013 and publicly came out as gay upon entering the WNBA, that was still a big deal at the time; it wasn’t nearly as common as it is today for athletes to reveal their authentic selves. Brittney was, and continues to be, a trailblazer in eschewing gender norms. Even eight years after her memoir was published, I still get the occasional Twitter message from a college student who read her book in a gender studies class, or just a fan expressing gratitude for Brittney sharing her story. Like many athletes, she has had some stumbles and controversy along the way, but she always takes accountability and shows a willingness to learn and grow. And in an age of curated social media content, there’s something refreshing about a high-profile athlete who gives us that three-dimensional view. She’s relatable and human, and that resonates with people.”

It is absolutely true that Griner resonates with people, and now many of her fans are up in arms. If the goal was to quietly negotiate Griner’s return, those days are done. At this point, there is really no choice but to shine the brightest possible light on this political injustice and demand that she be sent home. Political prisoners are rarely freed easily. It requires—and demands—an international response. Brittney Griner is a basketball titan who deserves more than to be treated like a pawn.

The Russian government has denied that Griner's detention is politically motivated, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that she was detained for possessing "prohibited medication containing narcotic substances".

Despite this, many believe that Griner's detention is a bargaining chip for the Russian government, which is seeking to exchange her for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is currently imprisoned in the US.

Griner's experience in the Russian penitentiary system has been marked by isolation and uncertainty, with her family and supporters expressing concern for her well-being and safety.

The exchange of Griner for Viktor Bout has been seen as a significant development in the case, with many believing that it marks a major breakthrough in efforts to secure Griner's release.

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Content: Live Updates

Russia's war in Ukraine

By Jessie Yeung, Joshua Berlinger, Elise Hammond and Matt Meyer, CNN

Updated 2:22 p.m. ET, December 9, 2022
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24 min ago

Zelensky says frontline situation in east is "very difficult" as Ukrainian forces repel Russian assaults

From CNN's Tim Lister and Julia Kesaieva

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged Friday that the military situation in parts of eastern Ukraine was "very difficult" but said Ukrainian forces continued to resist Russian attacks.

In his daily video address, Zelensky said, "The frontline situation remains very difficult in the key areas of Donbas — Bakhmut, Soledar, Mariinka, Kreminna."

The four towns are on the frontlines in Donetsk and Luhansk, which have moved little in the last three months.

"There is no living place left on the ground in these areas that is undamaged by shells and fire," Zelensky said. "The occupiers have actually destroyed Bakhmut — another city of Donbas, which the Russian army turned into scorched ruins."

Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were holding the front, repelling attacks and inflicting "tangible losses on the enemy in response to the hell that came to Ukraine under the Russian flag."

Situation on the frontline: There's been heavy fighting around the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk for months. The city has suffered extensive destruction, as have dozens of settlements along the front lines in Donetsk.

Earlier Friday, an adviser to the president's office, Oleksiy Arestovych, said the Russians were making an unprecedented push towards Bakhmut. He also said that the situation around nearby Soledar "has worsened a little" with the Russians closing in on a village near an important highway.

In the Luhansk direction, Arestovych talked about dynamic front lines in which each side goes on the attack. But he said that at present, it was the Russians on the offensive, "meaning we are holding defenses."

36 min ago

Russia demanded a spy held in Germany be freed in exchange for Paul Whelan

From Natasha Bertrand, Kylie Atwood, Sean Lyngaas and Jennifer Hansler

Russia refused to release Paul Whelan alongside Brittney Griner unless a former colonel from Russia’s domestic spy currently in German custody was also released as part of any prisoner swap, US officials told CNN, even as the US offered up the names of several other Russian prisoners in US custody that they would be willing to trade.

The US was unable to deliver on the request for the ex-colonel, Vadim Krasikov, because he is serving out a life sentence for murder in Germany.

CNN first reported exclusively in August that the Russians had requested that Krasikov be released along with Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who was serving a 25-year sentence in the US, in exchange for Whelan and Griner.

US officials made quiet inquiries to Germany about whether they might be willing to include Krasikov in the trade, a senior German government source told CNN earlier this year. But ultimately, the US was not able to secure Krasikov’s release.

The German government was not willing to seriously consider including Krasikov — who had assassinated a Georgian citizen in broad daylight in Berlin in 2019 — in a potential trade, the German source said.

The US made several other offers to the Russians, sources said, to get them to agree to include Whelan in the swap. Among the names floated by the US was Alexander Vinnik, a Russian national extradited to the US in August on allegations of money laundering, hacking and extortion.

The US also offered to trade Roman Seleznev, a convicted Russian cyber-criminal currently serving a 14-year sentence in the US, sources said.

A lawyer for Seleznev did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Frédéric Bélot, a lawyer who represented Vinnik in France before his extradition to the US, told CNN Friday that he was not aware of any current discussions between Moscow and Washington over including Vinnik in a potential prisoner swap.

38 min ago

Putin floats possibility that Russia may abandon doctrine of "no first use" of nuclear weapons

From CNN's Tim Lister

For the second time this week, President Vladimir Putin has floated the possibility that Russia may formally change its current doctrine that it will not be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.

Putin noted that United States’ policy was not to exclude the possibility of a “disarming” nuclear strike.

“They have it in their strategy, in the documents it is spelled out – a preventive blow. We don't. We, on the other hand, have formulated a retaliatory strike in our strategy," Putin said.

Even if Russia were to retaliate immediately on seeing the launch of nuclear missiles towards it, Putin said, “This means that the fall of the warheads of enemy missiles on the territory of the Russian Federation is inevitable – they will still fall.”

“So if we're talking about this disarming strike, then maybe think about adopting the best practices of our American partners and their ideas for ensuring their security. We're just thinking about it. No one was shy when they talked about it out loud in previous times and years," he added. “If a potential adversary believes it is possible to use the theory of a preventive strike, and we do not, then this still makes us think about those threats that are posed to us.”

Putin was speaking at a news conference in Bishkek. He described the preemptive nuclear strike as “applied to the control points, deprive the enemy of these control systems and so on,” implying that it could even prevent a retaliatory strike.

Some background: On Wednesday, Putin acknowledged that the conflict is “going to take a while,” as he also warned of the “increasing” threat of nuclear war.

“As for the idea that Russia wouldn't use such weapons first under any circumstances, then it means we wouldn't be able to be the second to use them either — because the possibility to do so in case of an attack on our territory would be very limited," he said Wednesday.

Putin’s comments come as the war enters winter, with Russia continuing to shell eastern and southern parts of Ukraine – and facing attacks on its own soil.

Biden administration officials have previously said that Moscow has been warned at the highest levels of the consequences for use of nuclear weapon in the war.

1 min ago

Pentagon announces $275 million in additional assistance for Ukraine

From CNN's Jamie Crawford and Niamh Kennedy

The Pentagon announced that an additional $275 million in security assistance for Ukraine has been approved.

“This authorization is the Biden Administration’s twenty-seventh drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021,” according to a statement from the Defense Department.

The package includes weapons and artillery rounds, as well as equipment to help Ukraine boost its air defense, according to the statement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the United States for its "unwavering support" in this country's "fight against Russian aggression" in a tweet Friday.

"No missile terror will stop our fight for freedom! It is important that the people of the United States are side by side with the people of Ukraine in this struggle," Zelensky said.

The Defense Department said the US have provided more than $19 billion in aide to Ukraine since the beginning of the war in February.

2 hr 6 min ago

Ukraine says it has identified Russian commander who allegedly ordered troops to shoot at civilians

From CNN's Julia Kesaieva

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) says it has identified a Russian commander who ordered troops to fire at civilians in the early days of the invasion.

The SBU alleges that Lieutenant Colonel Yevgeniy Zelenov — a deputy commander in the Western Military District — ordered troops to shoot at civilian cars at the entrance to Kharkiv on Feb. 24, the first full day of the invasion.

The SBU claims in a statement that on that day, Zelenov was commanding a Russian battalion-tactical group and "conducted active hostilities with the units of the Defense Forces in the eastern direction."

"According to the investigation, his occupation group approached the Kharkiv ring road from the side of the village of Lyptsi and blocked the entrance to the regional center," the SBU continues.

"At the same time, local residents who were traveling from the border settlements of the region demanded the traffic be unblocked and resisted the occupiers."

The SBU claims that Zelenov ordered his subordinates to open fire on the cars with civilians.

"As a result of the crime, one person was killed, at least two were seriously injured," the security service alleges.

CNN is reaching out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment on the accusations. Russia has consistently denied targeting civilians in what it calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

2 hr 29 min ago

CNN's "Navalny" airs this weekend. Here's how to watch.

The CNN Film “Navalny” follows Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who was poisoned in August 2020 with a nerve agent during a flight to Moscow.

The film paints an intimate portrait of one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critics and takes viewers inside the harrowing search for answers following his poisoning.

Directed by Daniel Roher, it won the best political documentary award at the 2022 Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards.

When and where to watch:

Saturday, Dec. 10 at 9 p.m. ET on CNN. You can also stream anytime on HBO Max.

Who is Navalny?

Navalny is a Russian opposition leader, Kremlin critic and activist. He has been a prominent organizer of street protests and has exposed corruption in the Russian government on social media.

Earlier this year, Navalny was sentenced to nine years in prison on fraud charges he said were politically motivated.

Where is Navalny now?

Navalny has been transferred into a solitary prison cell, according to tweets from himself and his staff, in what he described as a move designed to “shut me up.”

In his isolation, Navalny said he is allowed just two books, and his parents, children and wife can no longer see him.

3 hr 23 min ago

Here's the official order Biden signed commuting Viktor Bout's sentence

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

President Joe Biden signed the official commutation for Viktor Bout last Friday, Dec. 2, according to the document that was posted on the Justice Department website.

The conditions of Bout's commutation include that he not return to the United States and not profit from any book or movie about his arrest or release.

On Thursday, the White House said Bout's commutation was not finalized until US officials saw Brittney Griner on the tarmac in Abu Dhabi.

Here's a look at the full document:

4 hr 2 min ago

Brittney Griner has arrived at Texas Army medical center for routine evaluation

From CNN's Jennifer Hansler

Brittney Griner “arrived at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas early Friday, December 9, and was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center for a routine evaluation," a State Department official confirmed.

“The US government is focused on ensuring that Brittney Griner and her family’s well-being are prioritized and that all assistance available be offered in an appropriate manner,” the official said.

“Due to privacy reasons and out of respect to the family, we do not have anything additional to provide,” they said.

Griner was released from a Russian jail in a Thursday prisoner swap for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout.

3 hr 20 min ago

Pentagon has some "concern" about release of Viktor Bout in exchange for Brittney Griner's freedom

From CNN's Barbara Starr

The Pentagon said Thursday there is some “concern” that Viktor Bout, who returned to Russia yesterday in a prisoner exchange for Brittney Griner, could return to the illicit international arms trade.

“I think there is a concern that he would return to doing the same kind of work that he's done in the past,” a senior defense official told reporters after Bout’s release from US custody.

Bout is allegedly the most prolific arms dealer of the past decades, fueling conflicts in Africa and beyond. He was serving a 25-year prison sentence in the US on charges of conspiring to kill Americans, acquire and export anti-aircraft missiles, and provide material support to a terrorist organization.

The official said the Defense Department will continue to work with its partners in Africa to understand the current risk factors in the international arms trade.

“There are a number of actors out there who have influence in the Russian oligarchy,” the official said. “We will continue to work with African partners so that they understand the risks and the threats of the people that they're working with and the organizations that they're working with,” the official added.

Title:

Content: Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner arrives in San Antonio after 10 months in Russian custody

Griner was transported to Brook Army Medical Center's reintegration center upon her arrival.

click to enlarge
Instagram / brittneyyevettegriner
WNBA star Brittney Griner spent 294 days in Russian custody after customs officials in Moscow allegedly discovered vape canisters containing cannabinoid oil in her luggage.
WNBA star Brittney Griner touched down at San Antonio’s former Kelly Air Force base early Friday morning after 10 months in Russian custody, according to media reports.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was smiling as she stepped off the plane at 4:30 a.m., the Express-News reports. Following her arrival, she was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center’s reintegration facility, where she will receive any necessary medical treatment.

Medical experts from UT Health San Antonio told KSAT that Griner also may undergo extensive mental health evaluations.

In February, Griner was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after customs officials allegedly found vape canisters continuing cannabinoid oil in her luggage. In August, she pled guilty to the charges and was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony. She spent 294 days in Russian custody, according to the daily.

The basketball star was released in a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia on Thursday, in which the Biden administration handed over notorious international arms dealer Viktor Bout.

In a statement, Griner's family offered “sincere gratitude” to President Joe Biden and his administration for their efforts in bringing her home, according to the Express-News. It is unclear how long Griner will be in San Antonio before returning home to her family.

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Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges on July 7 and was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony.

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Content: Diplomat Sparks Renewed Hope For Brittney Griner Prisoner Exchange

The situation surrounding Brittney Griner's case is looking a little less bleak, thanks to the recent developments brought about by negotiations between the U.S. and Russia.

In early November, the WNBA star had been transferred to a penal colony in the Russian republic of Mordovia. There, she began fulfilling her nine-year sentence for drug possession. As reported by Reuters, authorities initially arrested Griner in February 2022 after vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were discovered in her luggage at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. While she attempted to appeal the ruling, it was ultimately upheld by a Russian court.

"This has been [a] very traumatic experience, waiting for this day, waiting for the first court, and getting nine years for a crime that I was barely over the significant amount," she said at the hearing (via CBS News). "I don't understand the first court's decision to give one year less than the max when I've been here almost 8 months, and people with more severe crimes have gotten less than what I was given... I really hope that the court will adjust this sentence, because it's been very, very stressful and very traumatic to my mental and psyche, being away from my family and not being able to communicate." However, there is now renewed hope that Griner could be released, with a Russian diplomat claiming that a swap could happen sometime in the future.

Russian diplomat says there's 'always a chance' for a swap

Not all hope is lost, after all. According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Russia is not turning its back on the possibility of a prisoner exchange with the U.S. As reported by the New York Post, Ryabkov told reporters that there is "always a chance" when asked about the likelihood of a swap taking place before the end of the year. However, he noted that in the past, there had been multiple instances when it seemed as if Russia would agree to a swap, only for the plan to fall apart. If the prisoner swap does take place, Ryabkov said it would "send a positive signal that not everything is hopeless in Russian-American relations."

In the meantime, it looks like Brittney Griner has her work cut out for her. Maria Alyokhina, a former member of the band Pussy Riot, didn't mince words when she spoke to NPR about her own experience at a Russian penal colony. "It has a bit better conditions than [the] original gulag system from the 1950s," she said, but added that it's still "a labor camp." She described the grim reality she endured while serving out her own sentence, calling it inhumane. "For 100 women, there are like three toilets and no hot water," she recalled, adding that the penal colony is merely a "legal slavery system."

According to a statement released by her lawyers (via BBC), she is trying her best to survive and is "doing as well as could be expected and trying to stay strong as she adapts to a new environment."

The Russian jail where Griner was being held was described as having poor conditions, with Griner complaining that the beds in her jail cell were too small for her, given her height of 6'9".

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Content: Brittney Griner is ‘OK’ Despite Russian Extended Detention for Drug Charge

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  • Brittney Griner is “OK”Insider heard from a source that the Russian jail was holding him, even though he was not in it.
  • The WNBA star has met with her legal team “multiple times a week,”Source added
  • Russia announced that Griner’s imprisonment would be extended to May on Friday.

Brittney Griner — the WNBA superstar who has been held in Russia for several weeks — is doing “OK”Insider was told by a source familiar with the situation that Russian prisoners are being held in Russian prisons.

Since February 17, Russian agents took custody of the 6-foot-9 center. They claimed that she had vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. Insider has heard from a source who said that Griner’s had been in custody for the center since February 17th, when agents at Sheremetyevo airport claimed she found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. “Russian legal team has seen her multiple times a week.”

Griner was handcuffed at a Moscow court one month after her arrest. This was as her legal team challenged her ongoing detention.

Insider was told by a source that Griner’s legal team approached the hearing on Thursday “with the hopes of having Brittney transferred to house arrest.” Instead, the court ruled that the two-time Olympic gold medalist must remain in custody until at least May 19 — a decision that “was not unexpected,”According to the source.

The person — who is familiar with Griner’s legal circumstances but spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern for Griner’s continued safety — stressed that Thursday’s proceedings were “not a hearing on the merits”She was convicted of a drug-related offense and is facing a maximum term of 10 years imprisonment.

“The investigation is still ongoing,”According to the source. “Once it has concluded, a trial date will be set. Until then, the court extends detention by periods of time.”

“If the investigation is not finished, the May hearing is to contemplate how much longer the court needs to extend,”They were also added.

Russian media outlet TASSGriner complained Thursday that her only grievance while in captivity is that the beds in her jail cell were too small for Griner, who stands 6’9″. Griner shares a cell in which she is confined with two other inmates who both speak English and have assisted her to navigate the situation.

Griner had been traveling to Russia in the days preceding her arrest to play for European powerhouse club UMMC Ekaterinburg. She’d done this every WNBA offseason since 2014.

Around half of WNBA athletes travel abroad in winter to play. Their relatively low salaries can be supplementedFrom the domestic league. Stars can earn significantly more abroad than they could in the States, and Griner is a prime example of this pay gap.

The seven-time WNBA All-Star is expected to bring home a trophy this year. League-maximum base salary of $227,900From the Phoenix Mercury. She’s eligible to earn more through bonuses and marketing opportunities if her stay in the US is for the winter. According to reports, she is paid $1 million per season by the UMMC Ekaterinburg. Jeff Metcalfe of the Arizona Republic.

This two-season-per year lifestyle is not ideal, even under normal circumstances. Griner, an athlete, often finds themselves with nagging injuries and rapid wear and tear that can hinder their professional careers.

But during moments of international crisis — like the early days of the pandemic or right now, as Russia wages war in Ukraine — WNBA players taking on second jobs overseas becomes all the more perilous. Griner could be a collateral victim of the fiery feud between the two superpowers due to the rapidly changing relationship between her country and her off-season home.

Antony Blinken Secretary of State said that the US is prepared to deal with any situation geopolitical. “provide every possible assistance”Griner and other detained citizens abroad per ESPN

“There’s only so much I can say given the privacy considerations at this point,”Griner was mentioned by Blinken. “Whenever an American is detained anywhere in the world, we of course stand ready to provide every possible assistance, and that includes in Russia.”

The US government, including President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, made efforts to secure Griner's release, with Blinken stating that the US was prepared to provide every possible assistance to Griner and other detained citizens abroad.

After her release, Griner was found to have cut her trademark dreadlocks, which she did out of necessity due to the cold Russian winter, as she feared that they would freeze and make her sick.

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Content: When she finally returned home following a hellish prison stint in Russia, Brittney Griner’s trademark dreadlocks were gone. She looked like a different person without it, and more than a few folks were curious about the timing of her decision to cut it.

As it turns out, it had a lot to do with Griner’s survival instincts while inside the Russian penitentiary. The WNBA star did not cut her hair just because she wanted a new look, but apparently, the decision was made out of necessity.

Brittney’s Russian attorney, Maria Blagovolina, revealed that according to Griner herself, she cut out her dreads two weeks prior to her release because she feared that they would freeze during the long Russian winter:

“It’s very cold in there and every time she washed her hair she got cold and would get a chill,” Blagovolina said, via T.J. Quin of ESPN. “She should have waited until New Year’s Day.”

That’s actually very telling of Griner’s mindset in her final few weeks in prison. She did not know that her prison term was coming to an end and she was already preparing for the worst. This just goes to show how difficult life was for the Phoenix Mercury center inside the Russian penal colony. It’s also as if she had abandoned all hope that she was going to get out soon.

Fortunately, the U.S. government delivered on its promise to get Brittney Griner back before the New Year. It was a long and difficult process, no doubt, but the most important thing right now is that Brittney is finally home.

The US government's efforts to free Griner were successful, with her being released in a prisoner swap between the US and Russia, in which the Biden administration handed over notorious international arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Griner's family expressed "sincere gratitude" to President Joe Biden and his administration for their efforts in bringing her home.

The US government's actions to secure Griner's release demonstrate the political implications of her arrest and the geopolitical tensions between the US and Russia.

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Content: Skip to main content

Russian court sentences Brittney Griner to 9 years, raising pressure on Biden

A Russian court Thursday sentenced U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in a penal colony after convicting her on a drug charge, a harsh penalty that keeps her fate entwined with the geopolitical showdown over the war in Ukraine and ramps up already intense pressure on President Joe Biden to win her release.

The U.S. government contends that she is among several Americans who have been “wrongfully detained” by Russia, used as bargaining chips in the increasingly hostile relationship between Moscow and Washington. The Biden administration has offered a prisoner swap involving Griner, but Russian officials said it was premature to discuss a deal while her case was underway.

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Now that the trial is concluded, Biden faces a difficult choice between standing firm on his proposal to trade for Griner and another American, Paul Whelan, or sweetening the offer somehow, with either position liable to draw domestic criticism.

Meanwhile the Kremlin can use them as leverage, with no incentive to resolve the cases quickly. Griner’s supporters, voicing horror at the verdict and sentence, are clamoring for the president to do something, while the administration is wary of giving in to Russian tactics it has all but labeled blackmail.

“My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible,” Biden said in a statement after the verdict.

Griner, 31, one of her sport’s biggest global stars, sat mostly expressionless, eyes downcast, leaning her long frame toward the bars of the defendant’s box in a cramped courtroom outside Moscow to hear as the words of the judge, Anna Sotnikova, were quietly translated for her. She had already pleaded guilty, and conviction is all but certain in Russian courts, so the verdict was a foregone conclusion; the real question was about sentencing.

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The answer was devastating. The sentence was near the 10-year maximum for her conviction for attempting to smuggle narcotics into the country, based on two vape cartridges containing hashish oil found in Griner’s luggage when she arrived in February, a week before President Vladimir Putin sent Russian forces to Ukraine.

She and her legal team had hoped for a more lenient penalty based on her guilty plea, her statement that she had not meant to take the cartridges to Russia, and testimony that she used the substance legally in the United States to manage pain.

“I made an honest mistake, and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn’t end my life here,” she said before the sentencing.

She told the court that while she took responsibility for her actions, “I had no intent to break Russian law.” She said that after recovering from a bout of COVID, she had packed hurriedly to rejoin the Russian team she plays for in the WNBA offseason, and had accidentally left the cartridges in her luggage.

Griner’s defense team called the ruling “absolutely unreasonable,” said the court had “completely ignored all the evidence of the defense, and most importantly, the guilty plea,” and vowed to appeal. Elizabeth Rood, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, attended the court session and called the result “a miscarriage of justice.”

Russian officials have insisted that Griner’s case is simply the justice system running its course, with no political overtones — a claim that their U.S. counterparts and many Western analysts dismissed as absurd.

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William Pomeranz, a Russia expert and acting director of the Kennan Institute, a research group in Washington, noted that Griner was sentenced not to a prison but to a penal colony, which tends to mean a more remote location — many are in Siberia — and harsher conditions.

“She’s probably going to go to a penal colony that’s in the middle of Russia where she won’t know anybody,” he added. “They won’t be able to come and visit. Penal colonies can sometimes be very severe. It will be a tremendous test of her mental state if she ends up going to a penal colony.”

The United States has few options, he said. “It will just depend on the Russians and how fast they want to make a deal.”

Fellow basketball players, male and female, and basketball executives took to social media to voice support for Griner and grief at the verdict. Griner’s team, the Phoenix Mercury, said in a statement: “We remain heartbroken for her, as we have every day for nearly six months. We remain grateful to and confident in the public servants working every day to return her to her family and us.”

With Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the indiscriminate destruction it has caused, relations between Washington and Moscow are more confrontational and bitter than they have been in decades. The United States has rallied the West to send arms and other aid to Ukraine, and to punish Moscow with economic sanctions, looking for opportunities to ratchet up the pressure.

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The two sides have made prisoner exchanges before, most recently in April, when Russia released Trevor Reed, an American held on what his family said was a bogus assault charge, in return for a Russian pilot convicted in the United States of cocaine trafficking charges. But rarely have proposed swaps come amid such tension, or involved anyone as prominent as Griner.

In a sign of how high the stakes are for Washington, Griner’s fate was among the topics discussed last Friday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, in their first direct conversation since before the invasion.

The Biden administration has offered to trade Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year sentence for a 2011 conviction on a federal charge of conspiring to sell weapons to people posing as terrorists intent on killing Americans. Whelan, detained in Russia since 2018, was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years.

Russia made an unspecified “bad faith” counteroffer, the White House said Monday, which U.S. officials said they did not consider serious.

John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, told reporters Thursday, “I don’t think it would be helpful to Brittney or to Paul for us to talk more publicly about where we are in the talks and what the president might or might not be willing to do.”

“Conversations are ongoing at various levels,” he added.

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If Biden sticks to his initial offer, he could face accusations of not doing enough.

Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, and other supporters have mounted an effective public campaign to pressure the president to win her release. Supporters worry about her treatment in a country where anti-American and anti-gay vitriol are deeply embedded in popular views and official propaganda. Images of a grim-faced Griner being led, handcuffed, in and out of court, towering over her armed guards, have become commonplace in U.S. and international media.

The administration could make a more attractive offer, but U.S. officials already worry that deals for prisoners could encourage hostile foreign governments to detain Americans on trumped-up charges in exchange for concessions like freeing their own wrongdoers. Some Republicans have already complained that Biden’s existing offer creates such an incentive.

A 6-foot-9 center, Griner won a college national championship with Baylor in 2012, a WNBA championship with the Mercury in 2014, Olympic gold medals with the U.S. team at the 2016 and 2020 games, and four EuroLeague championships with the Russian team UMMC Yekaterinburg. Like many players in the WNBA, where salaries are much lower than in the NBA, Griner — who also played one season for a professional team in China — has played overseas to supplement her income.

Griner has been back to practicing basketball, and during her detainment and imprisonment in Russia, she was offered the chance to practice playing basketball, but it didn't feel right.

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Content: Brittney Griner’s Wife, Cherelle, Makes First Social Media Post Since WNBA Star’s Return

by Jonathan Howard

Brittney Griner is home and her wife Cherelle is relieved to have her back. She had a lot of people to thank as she broke her silence online. On Monday, Cherelle made her first social media post since Griner returned to the United States. This is an emotional time for the family.

As Brittney Griner has settled back into her life here in the states, Cherelle was thanking all of the people that helped make it possible. Griner was held in Russia for months for possessing vape pen cartridges. When an agreement on her release was made, she had been living at a Russian penal colony.

On Instagram, Cherelle was thankful for a lot of folks.

“Yesterday my heart was made whole thanks to the collective efforts of MANY!” she wrote. “I’m humbled by their hearts. To care for another, a stranger to some, a friend to some – is humanity in its purest form! As BG and I start our journey to heal our minds, bodies, and spirits – I wanted to personally say thank you to some of the hands; seen and unseen, that helped make it possible for me to see my wife again!”

In her post, she thanked the Biden Administration as well as various members of congress. While thanking all those involved, Cherelle also thanked Paul Whelan’s family.

“I appreciate each and every one of you – Let’s continue to use our hands, voices, platforms, and resources to bring Paul and all Americans home. All families deserve to be whole!” the post ended.

Brittney Griner Returns to Basketball Workouts

While Brittney Griner is a lot of things, she is a basketball player. So, she’s already back to practicing and the WNBA forward has still got it. During her detainment and imprisonment in Russia, Griner was offered the chance to practice playing basketball. However, given her situation, it didn’t feel right.

ESPN reported that Griner had a light workout and was able to dunk a basketball. She has not made a decision on when or if she will return to basketball as a professional. After the 10 months that she has been through, it is no surprise that she is taking time to make this decision.

The entire basketball world is behind Brittney Griner. She has had a lot of support from the NBA and WNBA. When it comes time to make that decision, she will make it. Until then, it’s just about getting back to her normal life.

Outsider.com

The entire basketball world is behind Brittney Griner, and she has had a lot of support from the NBA and WNBA.

The Biden Administration, as well as various members of Congress, were thanked by Cherelle Griner, Brittney's wife, for their efforts in bringing Brittney home.

Cherelle Griner also thanked Paul Whelan's family and expressed her desire to continue using her platform to bring Paul and all Americans home.

The US government continues to work aggressively to bring home all U.S. nationals who are held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, including those like Paul Whelan.

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Content: Brittney Griner Urges Biden, 'Don't Forget About Me', in Handwritten Letter.

Brittney Griner Urges Biden, 'Don't Forget About Me', in Handwritten Letter.

The handwritten letter penned by the Phoenix Mercury star was received at the White House in July 4.

I realize you are dealing with so much, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

But please don't forget about me and the other American detainees.

Please do all you can to bring us home, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

Griner has been detained in Russia since February after cannabis oil was allegedly discovered in her luggage.

Her trial for the offense began last week.

Griner also described the fear and pain she is experiencing by being detained in Russia.

I'm terrified I might be here forever, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran.

, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

I believe in you.

I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore, Brittney Griner, Letter to President Biden, via CNN.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council stated July 4 the U.S. position that "the Russian Federation is wrongfully detaining Brittney Griner.".

President Biden has been clear about the need to see all U.S. nationals who are held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad released, including Brittney Griner.

, Adrienne Watson, National Security Council Spokesperson, via CNN.

The U.S. government continues to work aggressively – using every available means — to bring her home, Adrienne Watson, National Security Council Spokesperson, via CNN.

The President's team is in regular contact with Brittney's family and we will continue to work to support her family, Adrienne Watson, National Security Council Spokesperson, via CNN

The White House has stated that the Russian Federation is wrongfully detaining Americans like Brittney Griner, and President Biden has been clear about the need to see all U.S. nationals released.

Griner's experience in the Russian penitentiary system had a significant impact on her physical health, as she had to endure harsh conditions, including cold temperatures, which forced her to cut her dreadlocks to prevent them from freezing.

The decision to cut her hair was made out of necessity, as Griner feared that her dreadlocks would freeze during the long Russian winter, and she would get cold and chilled every time she washed her hair.

After her release, Griner was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center's reintegration facility, where she received medical treatment and underwent extensive mental health evaluations.

The US government played a significant role in providing support to Brittney Griner during her readjustment to life after her release, with the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre describing her as an "inspiration" to the LGBT community.

The US government ensured that Brittney Griner and her family's well-being were prioritized and that all assistance available was offered in an appropriate manner.

Griner was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center for a routine evaluation after her arrival in the United States, as part of the government's efforts to support her readjustment.

The State Department official confirmed that the US government was focused on providing assistance to Griner and her family in a manner that respected their privacy.