# Brittney Griner in Russia: When Sports, Gender, and Politics Collide

## Introduction

The story of Brittney Griner, an American professional basketball player detained in Russia, represents a complex intersection of sports, gender issues, and international politics.

As a cultural critic focusing on women in sports, this case offers a compelling examination of how governments can use prominent athletes as political pawns in their broader geopolitical strategies.

This report examines Griner's arrest, her time in the Russian penal system, the political implications of her detention, the diplomatic efforts to secure her release, and the controversial prisoner exchange that ultimately brought her home.

## The Arrest and Detention

In February 2022, Brittney Griner—a two-time Olympic gold medalist, seven-time WNBA All-Star, and center for the Phoenix Mercury—was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport near Moscow.

Russian Federal Customs Service officials discovered hashish oil in electronic cigarettes (vapes) in her luggage during a routine screening.

The arrest occurred during a period of escalating tensions between Russia and the West following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian authorities charged Griner under Article 229.

1 (smuggling of narcotic drugs in significant amounts) and Article 228 of the Russian Criminal Code, charges that carried a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Notably, as one document observes, "the reaction since the arrest has been stunningly quiet," despite Griner being "one of the greatest athletes in American sports—a gold-medal winner, a superstar, a champion.

"

## Legal Proceedings and Incarceration

On July 7, 2022, Griner fully admitted her guilt in court but stated that she had no criminal intent, explaining that she had inadvertently packed the cartridges containing hashish oil.

In late summer 2022, the Russian court sentenced her to nine years in a penal colony.

Unfortunately, the available documents provide limited details about

# Brittney Griner in Russia: When Sports, Gender, and Politics Collide

## Introduction

The story of Brittney Griner, an American professional basketball player detained in Russia, represents a complex intersection of sports, gender issues, and international politics.

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Victor Bout gave the first interview since his release from American prison.
RT employee Maria Butina spoke to him
Source: Meduza
I did not encounter Russophobia in prison — apparently because the prison is in America ’ s “red belt ”; other prisoners were sympathetic to Russia.
You have to be careful with the terminology when talking about Russophobia.
The West believes that they did not finish us off with the collapse of the USSR.
The fact that we are now trying not to depend on anyone is shocking news for them, and they believe that they can destroy us again.
To think about why I was exchanged now is unreliable.
exchanged and exchanged.
I do not think that I am important for Russian politics, we just do not abandon our own.
I wasn ’ t approached from Hollywood – if I had come, I would have come up with a more interesting story.
Hollywood became the propaganda department of the Washington Regional Committee.
I would not say that the Americans bent down by swapping me.
If the deal was made, it means that common ground was found, which was arranged by both sides.
This is an approximate retelling of Viktor Bout ’ s statements made in an interview with RT employee Maria Butina.
The full interview can be heard here.
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American basketball player Brittney Greiner was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout In the United States, he is called the “merchant of death ”.
He was given 25 years in prison in the case of supplying weapons to Colombian militants
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American basketball player Brittney Greiner was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout In the United States, he is called the “merchant of death ”.
He was given 25 years in prison in the case of supplying weapons to Colombian militants
Cover photo: FSB / TASS

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Content: CNN: basketball player Greiner was exchanged for Victor Bout
16: 10 08.12.2022
The basketball player from the United States was released from the Russian prison in the framework of the exchange of prisoners.
© Photo by ZUMAPRESS, Globallookpress
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American basketball player Brittney Greiner, who was convicted of drug smuggling, was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout.
This is reported by CNN with reference to a source.
Brittney Greiner was released from Russian detention as part of an exchange of prisoners... for Victor Bout.
Earlier, lawyers visited the American Brittney Greiner in the Mordovian correctional colony No2.
The basketball player has already begun to serve his sentence.
Recall that in late October, the Moscow regional court approved the American athlete Brittney Greiner nine years in prison for drug smuggling.
In February, a basketball player who arrived on a flight from New York was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport.
When inspecting things in her hand luggage, they found vapes with a liquid with a specific odor weighing 0.702 grams.
Subsequently, the examination found that it was hashish oil.
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What is the famous Victor Booth, exchanged for an American basketball player.
Analysis altapress.ru
Victor Bout, a political prisoner in the United States, was pardoned and exchanged for American basketball player Brittney Greiner during an exchange between Russia and the United States on December 8.
What is known about the Russian entrepreneur and as an athlete from the United States was detained in Russia - in the material altapress.ru.
Victor Bout
Wikimedia Commons
Who is Victor Booth?
Viktor Bout is a Russian businessman who built a business in the field of air transportation.
In the 1990s, he founded Transavia and the Almaty enterprise IRBIS.
It was engaged in deliveries to the Persian Gulf countries, Nigeria and the South African republics.
In the second half of the 1990s, Bout moved to the UAE because of an investigation that had begun against him.
He was suspected of supplying weapons and other illegal goods to countries that fell under international sanctions.
2 Arrest of the entrepreneur
In 2008, Victor Bout was arrested in Thailand.
He was accused of plotting to kill American citizens and providing material support for terrorism.
Two years later, he was extradited by the United States, and in 2012 he was sentenced to 25 years in prison, finding all charges fair.
Victor Bout
Wikimedia Commons
3 Negotiations with the United States
Russia for many years sought the extradition of the entrepreneur to his homeland.
At the same time, reports began to appear of Booth's deteriorating health.
He complained of bleeding ulcers and lack of medical care.
The United States has long refused.
4 What is known Brittney Greiner
Brittney Greiner is one of the most titled basketball players in the world.
She is on the official list of the 25 best players in the women ’ s NBA.
Greiner became a two-time Olympic champion and two-time world champion in the US national team.
And as part of the “Phoenix ” – the champion of the WNBA in 2014.
The athlete also played for the Russian team - since 2015 she played for the Yekaterinburg UMMC.
Brittney Greiner.
UMMC.
5 Accusations and arrest of basketball player
Brittney Greiner was detained on February 17, 2022 at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport.
In her luggage found a vape with cannabis, banned for import to Russia.
A criminal case was initiated under the article on smuggling of narcotic drugs (paragraph “c ” of part 2 of article 229.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
On March 5, Brittney Greiner was arrested, and on March 17, the Moscow Regional Court found the arrest lawful.
The athlete did not recognize the guilt, and the United States and the world community considered Greiner “illegally detained ”.
6 Exchange
On December 8, Russia and the United States held an exchange of prisoners.
The procedure took place at the airport of Abu Dhabi, RIA Novosti reported.
The Russian and American leaders pardoned both participants in the exchange.
Booth and Greiner can now move freely.
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Former US President Donald Trump suggested that the proposed exchange of prisoners with Russia is “not a very good deal. ”
His words about the possible exchange of Russian businessman Viktor Bout for American basketball player Brittney Greiner on July 30 leads Fox News.
“She knew she didn ’ t have to go there drugged, and she admitted it.
I guess she admitted it without much pressure, as it was obvious, so it certainly doesn ’ t look like a very good deal, does it? ” he said.
Trump noted that Russia is very vigilant about narcotic substances and “do not like drugs ”, and Greiner, as if on purpose, went there with banned substances.
"And she was caught.
And now we have to get her out -- and she's, you know, making a lot of money, I think.
We must bring it to clean water, ” the politician added.
On July 27, CNN reported that US President Joe Biden approved a deal to exchange Russian citizens held in American prisons for American citizens convicted in Russia.
According to the channel, businessman Victor Bout should be exchanged for basketball player Brittney Greiner and convicted of espionage Paul Whelan.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier this week that while the Kremlin and U.S. officials are negotiating, "there is no concrete outcome yet."
She clarified that the parties proceed from the fact that the interests of both parties should be taken into account during the negotiations.
American basketball player Brittney Greiner was detained by customs officers at Sheremetyevo airport in February 2022.
In her hand luggage found vapes with cannabis oil.
In relation to Greiner, a criminal case was opened under the article on smuggling of narcotic drugs in a significant amount.
On July 7, the prosecutor ’ s office presented evidence in the case of the athlete, who fully admitted her guilt.
Paul Whelan was detained in Moscow in late December 2018.
A criminal case was opened against him under the article on espionage (Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
In mid-June 2020, the Moscow City Court sentenced Whelan to 16 years in a strict regime colony.
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"Death Dealer" in exchange for female basketball star in the United States, the families of the imprisoned citizens demand the same treatment.
The United States and Russia have reached a prisoner swap agreement to exchange Viktor Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner. Some relatives of American citizens wrongly detained in China are now angry that President Biden has not fulfilled his promise to release their loved ones as a “personal priority. ”
The families and advocates of these American citizens say they are happy that Grener is free, but they should also be given a prisoner exchange.
They argue that the Biden administration has focused too much on negotiating their beloved ’ s release through quiet diplomacy between the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs and officials at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, but argue that this strategy has failed and calls for a stronger and more forceful method of prisoner exchange.
In June, White House national security adviser Sullivan reportedly told Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Committee on Foreign Affairs, that the release of Americans wrongly detained or subject to exit bans in China “is a personal priority for him and for President Biden. ”
The families of these American citizens have now accused the Biden administration of abandoning that promise and failing to use the same resources and resolve that helped free Grenada to resolve the plight of their imprisoned relatives.
Kai Li, a US citizen, has been detained on espionage charges since he visited his relatives in China in 2016.
His son, Harrison Li, said Biden should “act more quickly, more forcefully and with equal urgency, as he did with the case of the Grenadines. ”
The prisoner trade, he said, “is a tool that seems to work, and it ’ s one of the tools we ’ re going to push. ”
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ChronicleMilitary operation in UkraineUpdated at 17: 04
The foreign Ministry confirmed the participation in the negotiations on the exchange of former diplomat Richardson
Moscow.
9 December.
INTERFAX.RU – Former US Ambassador to the UN and former Governor of the state Bill Richardson is named among those with whom the Russian side discusses issues related to the exchange of prisoners.
“We are communicating with all partners who are interested in this, and former US Governor and Permanent Representative to the UN, Mr. Richardson, is among them.
But I repeat that the issues of exchange were worked out and will be worked out on a different channel, ” said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, responding to a request from Interfax to comment on Richardson ’ s role in the negotiations on this topic and his plans to visit Russia soon to continue discussions.
In September, CNN reported that Richardson was in Moscow, where he held meetings with representatives of the Russian leadership.
The channel then recalled that Richardson and his center privately work on behalf of the families of detained Americans and that this politician has long been working to release Americans detained abroad, and played a role in ensuring the release of American Trevor Reed from a Russian prison in April.
Press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov then commented on the CNN report, saying that in the Kremlin with Richardson “there were no meetings ”.
At the time, the State Department called for negotiations on the exchange exclusively through official channels: “We are concerned that individuals are trying to make a deal, but they cannot speak for the American authorities. ”
Washington then said that they are discussing with Moscow the release and exchange of convicted in Russia US citizens Brittney Greiner and Paul Whelan.
On December 8, basketball player Greiner was traded for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
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Content: Booth says he supports Russia ’ s special operation in Ukraine
Viktor Bout, who this week returned to Russia from the United States, where he was serving a sentence on charges of illegal arms trafficking and supporting terrorism, said his support for the military special operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.
He said this in an interview with the TV channel Russia Today.
Commenting on the special operation announced in February by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bout said that he did not understand why this was not done earlier.
He mentioned how in 2014 Kharkiv residents, in particular, carried the Russian tricolor.
“Obviously, there were no conditions, we were not ready.
I fully support [the special operation], if I had the opportunity and the skills necessary, I would, of course, volunteer, ” said Booth.
On December 8, Victor Bout was exchanged at Abu Dhabi airport for basketball player Brittney Greiner, who was detained in February 2022 at Sheremetyevo airport, after cartridges with hashish oil were found in her hand luggage.
Before the exchange, Greiner and Booth were pardoned, they will not have to serve their sentences on the territory of their countries.
After returning to Russia, the Russian expressed gratitude to the American side for the noble and respectful attitude during the exchange.
According to his wife Alla, Booth is now feeling terribly and severely exhausted, since he had not slept for three days.
Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008 at the request of Washington and charged with arms trafficking and supporting terrorism.
Bout was imprisoned in Thailand for two and a half years before being extradited to the United States and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012.
The Russian categorically did not admit his guilt.
Press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov stressed that the exchange of Bout is not a sign of improving relations between Russia and the United States.
These relations continue to remain in a sad state, he stressed, adding that the preparation of the exchange was carried out by the special services of Russia and the United States.
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Content: games

Why Isn’t Brittney Griner the Biggest Sports Story in the Country?

Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The second-best player in every sport is a superstar at a level that 99.999 percent of professional athletes — who are already the elite of the elite of the elite — will never come close to achieving. Joel Embiid finished second in NBA MVP voting last year; in baseball (a sport once actively played in this country), it was Vladimir Guerrero Jr.; and in football, it was Tom Brady.

In the WNBA, the Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner earned this distinction last year. She was second in scoring, sixth in rebounds, first in blocks (she’s on track to become the WNBA’s all-time leader in that category), and, according to most advanced metrics, the best offensive player in the league. Her résumé is glittering: She won an NCAA national championship for Baylor in 2012, the same year she captured college basketball’s Player of the Year Award. She then won a WNBA championship in 2014 and was selected as one of the best 25 players in league history in 2021. She has two Olympic gold medals to her name. In the gold-medal game against Japan in Tokyo last summer, she dominated, scoring 30 points to clinch an easy victory. She is the apex of her sport. She is the best of the best. She is a legend.

And for more than a month now, she has been in the custody of the Russian government. Yet until Russian officials released a statement over the weekend saying they had detained Griner after finding hashish oil in her airport bag, it seemed that nobody had noticed. And the reaction since the arrest has been stunningly quiet. One of the greatest athletes in American sports — a gold-medal winner, a superstar, a champion — was arrested in a dangerous and volatile country that has suddenly become a pariah on the world stage. Making equivalences between sports only takes you so far here, but seriously: Imagine if Tom Brady were being held by Russian officials right now.

It is unclear how directly Griner’s plight connects to the catastrophic Russian invasion of Ukraine, and her detention has been overshadowed by the death and destruction wrought by Putin. And part of the muted response is likely due to sensitivity of the negotiations between Russian and American officials. Griner’s wife asked for privacy on Instagram, and it’s clear the precariousness of the situation has led to a certain institutional resistance to even mentioning it: That WNBA.com doesn’t include a single story about one of the organization’s best players being detained speaks to this dynamic. It is also worth remembering, as ESPN’s T.J. Quinn did on Monday, that Griner, whatever the specifics, is likely in some danger; Quinn noted that “as a 6-9 Black gay American woman, she’s a powerful cultural symbol,” and “even in the best case, she’s in for a long legal slog in the Russian criminal justice system. And there’s little the US govt can do about it.”

Another motive the WNBA may have for staying quiet is its own culpability in the situation. The reason Griner was in Russia in the first place — to play off-season basketball, as she has done there for years — is that the league does not pay its superstars the way other sports leagues do. As Tom Ley from Defector pointed out:

The league’s low salaries and minimal efforts towards player support have for years forced even its biggest stars to treat their time in the WNBA as a part-time job. The maximum WNBA salary in 2022 was just over $228,000, and players can make far more than that playing in leagues overseas. In 2015, Diana Taurasi was paid $1.5 million to skip the WNBA season entirely and play for UMMC Ekaterinburg, and Liz Cambage recently revealed that she has made “five to eight times” as much money playing overseas than she has in the WNBA.

Before you say, “Well, the WNBA isn’t as popular in the NBA; of course Griner wouldn’t make as much as LeBron,” remember this: The WNBA has a salary cap, and one that’s particularly suppressive of superstar wages. Griner only made $221,450 for the 2021–2022 season, which is less than a third of the minimum salary in the NHL, but nevertheless classifies her as the fourth-highest-paid player in the WNBA. A new CBA signed two years ago was supposed to address these issues, yet there was Griner, making a mint playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia. The WNBA’s MVP last year, Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones, plays for the same Russian team. She got out of the country just after the invasion of Ukraine began.

Liz Cambage, a star for the Los Angeles Sparks, has noted that players can make “five to eight times more money” for Russian teams than they do in the WNBA, despite the league being by far the most high-profile women’s basketball league in the world. And restricted cash flow isn’t the only problem for players: Just last week, the league fined the New York Liberty $500,000 for chartering flights to games, claiming this gave the Liberty a “competitive advantage.” (For perspective, almost every team in the collegiate NCAA tournament next week will arrive at their destinations via chartered flight.) Griner didn’t choose to go play in Russia. The league left her no choice.

The precarity of Griner’s position in Russia may give the WNBA a good reason to stay quiet about her case. But perhaps the league would also prefer not to dwell on how she ended up in this situation in the first place.

In any case, it’s not just the WNBA downplaying this story. There was also no mention of Griner on the front pages of ESPN.com, CBS Sports, and SI.com just 48 hours after news of her arrest landed.

This strange reaction comes at a time when the WNBA has surged in popularity. Last year’s finals, featuring Griner’s Mercury, put up the highest ratings ever, a full 49 percent jump from 2020. This is partly because of the league’s activism, which has increased its visibility in a dramatic way. And Griner has been right in the middle of it all, wearing Breonna Taylor’s name on her jersey and speaking out in favor of LGBTQ+ issues since before she even entered the NBA. She was also the first openly gay athlete ever signed to an endorsement deal with Nike. Her teammate Diana Taurasi, perhaps the best player in WNBA history, called Griner “a pioneer.”

And still, relative silence.

As Griner sits in detention in Russia, as a result of a system that is set up to devalue her and other stars at every corner, it would be nice if her plight received attention commensurate with its seriousness.

Why Isn’t Brittney Griner the Biggest Sports Story?

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Content: Who is the Russian “Dealer of Death ” released by Washington in exchange for the American player?
For two decades, Victor Bout ’ s name, nicknamed “Dealer of Death, ” remained a symbol of the international arms smuggling movement in the chaos after the fall of the Soviet Union, and his story inspired Hollywood before he was captured and imprisoned by the United States.
After lengthy and arduous negotiations, Washington agreed on Thursday to hand over the 55-year-old arrested in 2008 during a U.S. operation in Thailand in exchange for the release of basketball star Britney Greiner, who has been in Russia for months.
Bot, who was sentenced in 2012 to 25 years in prison, has been the subject of negotiations for years between Moscow and Washington.
Victor Bout was born, according to a UN report, in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, the former Soviet republic.
He studied at the Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow before joining the Air Force.
Bot is accused of taking advantage of the chaos after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 to buy weapons at low prices from uncontrolled military bases and officers looking for ways to enrich themselves or simply to make a living.
He even formed a special fleet of cargo planes to deliver his cargo around the world.
“Master of War ”
American journalist Douglas Farah, who published with Stephen Brown an article entitled “Dealer of Death ” in 2008, described Bout as“ a Soviet officer who took advantage of the opportunity created by three factors that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union: planes left on the runways between Moscow and Kiev, huge stockpiles of weapons guarded by unpaid soldiers, and an abundance of demand for weapons. ”
Some Russian stakeholders believe that Washington is exaggerating its actions to make him a scarecrow and tarnish Moscow ’ s image.
Russian journalist Alexander Gasiuk wrote in a 2021 book about the arms dealer ’ s “true story ” that“ the myth the United States created about Bot is disgracefully self-evident: the story of an evil Russian who illegally sells weapons and tries to harm America, but the good Americans put an end to it. ”
“An honest businessman. ”
Butt ’ s wife, Alla, says her husband is “an honest, patriotic businessman who loves his country, sentenced for crimes he didn ’ t commit, ” as she wrote in the foreword to Alexander Gasiuk ’ s book.
Bot was arrested after being set up by American agents.
According to the indictment, he agreed to sell an arsenal of guns and missiles to these secret agents who claimed to be members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who wanted to use these weapons to shoot down U.S. helicopters supporting the Colombian army.
In 2010, he was flown to Thailand on a US-equipped plane for trial.
He was convicted in November 2011 of arms smuggling and sentenced in April 2012 in New York to 25 years in prison.
“I am not guilty, I never intended to kill anyone, I never intended to sell these weapons to anyone, God knows the truth. ”
Source: French

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Washington has refused to comment on the arrest of an American businessman in Russia.
US authorities declined to comment on the arrest of an American businessman in Russia.
Russian news agencies announced on Thursday that a Moscow court had decided to detain US citizen of Russian origin Jane Spector on espionage charges.
He's serving a 3.5 year sentence.
Spector, a businessman, is already serving a three-and-a-half year prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2022 for his role in bribing Arkady Dvorkovich, a former deputy prime minister.
Spector was born in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, then moved to the United States.
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TASS said he was the chairman of the Medpolymerprom group, which specializes in cancer drugs, before his arrest in 2021.
Trial behind closed doors
However, the agencies did not give details of the new charges, noting that the court hearing was held behind closed doors after the material on the case was classified as confidential.
White House spokesman John Kirby, speaking on CNN, said the administration was still gathering information on the case and had no comment yet, and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Arrest of an American journalist
In March, Russia arrested an American journalist working for the Wall Street Journal, accusing him of spying.
Ivan Gershkovich, an expert reporter on Russia, was working in Yekaterinburg at the time of his arrest.
The Wall Street Journal said it was "deeply concerned" for his safety and strongly denied the charges.
The Kremlin, in turn, claimed that the reporter was arrested “in the act. ”
"illegal activities"
Russia ’ s Federal Security Service said it had “stopped illegal activities ” and that the reporter was“ acting on U.S. directives ” and “collecting state secrets. ”
Hours later, the security service took him to the Levertovo District Court in Moscow for official arrest.
He was later seen driving outside the building before being taken away by car.
The court decided to detain him until 29 May.
The lawyer was prevented from attending.
According to his lawyer, he was not allowed into the courtroom.
TASS news agency reported that the journalist denied the charges against him.
The court had earlier evacuated staff and visitors due to a bomb threat, Russia's official RIA news agency reported.
20 years in prison.
In Russia, espionage is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison.
In recent years, the detention of American citizens in Russia has increased in light of relations between Moscow and Washington, especially after the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine, prompting Washington to accuse Moscow of arbitrarily arresting Americans for using them as bargaining chips and recovering Russians held in the United States.
Exchange of prisoners
In December, the two countries exchanged prisoners, during which American basketball star Britney Greiner, who had been imprisoned in Russia, was released in exchange for the release of Russian arms dealer Victor Bout, who had been imprisoned in the United States.
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Content: Mercury post first video of Brittney Griner in uniform after re-signing WNBA star

Griner last played for Phoenix during the 2021 season

Brittney Griner is back in a Phoenix Mercury uniform over two months after returning from incarceration in Russia.

Griner officially re-signed with the only WNBA team she’s ever known this week, reportedly on a one-year deal with Phoenix worth $165,100.

American professional basketball player Brittney Griner acknowledges fans as she watches on the 16th hole during the third round of the Phoenix Open golf tournament, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, in Scottsdale, Ariz.  (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

On Friday, the franchise posted a video of Griner in a Mercury uniform for the first time since her signing.

FORMER WNBA MVP NNEKA OGWUMIKE RETURNING TO LOS ANGELES SPARKS ON ONE-YEAR DEAL: REPORT

Griner, who spent 10 months in Russian custody after authorities allegedly discovered that she had vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage, will return for her 10th WNBA season.

The WNBA champion was arrested in February 2022 at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport and was later classified as "wrongfully detained" by the U.S. State Department.

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted from a courtroom after a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022.  (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko.)

After months of strained negotiations, Griner was released from a Russian penal colony in early December in a prisoner exchange for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

On Thursday, Griner participated in a workout at the team facility when Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton emerged to watch.

"It’s unreal," Ayton said, according to the Arizona Republic. "Just watching her and seeing the reactions on her face. Her just being back and trying to get back in shape and just loving the game she loves to do. You can tell her mind is free."

Phoenix Mercury's Brittney Griner (42) is congratulated on a play against the Seattle Storm in the first half of the second round of the WNBA basketball playoffs Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, in Everett, Wash. Griner, who was a free agent, re-signed with the Mercury on a one-year contract according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, because no announcement has been made.  (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Griner was drafted by Phoenix with the top pick of the 2013 draft, helping the Mercury win the WNBA championship in 2014.

Phoenix opens the 2023 season on May 19th against the Los Angeles Sparks.

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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"I can't just protest" Chicago bride just got married and rushed back to Ukraine to support the anti-Russian war.
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WNBA Star Arrested at Greenpoint Airport With Cannabis E-Cigarette
Brittney Griner, an American women's basketball player, WNBA star and center for the Phoenix Mercury women's basketball team, was detained in Moscow on drug charges.
Greiner, 31, has been caught up in a dangerous standoff between Russia and the West over Ukraine.
A statement by the Russian Customs Service on Friday did not release the name of the player, saying only that the player had won two Olympic gold medals with the United States team; it said that officials detained her after discovering that her luggage had e-cigarettes containing cannabis oil in it at Sheremetyevo Airport near Moscow.
Russia ’ s Tass news agency reported that the detained player was Glinna.
She has been named to the WNBA All-Star Team seven times, winning Olympic gold with the U.S. women ’ s basketball team in 2021 and 2016.
A video released by the Russian Customs Service shows a suspected passenger passing through security at the airport and someone removing a package from her luggage.
A statement from the Russian Customs Administration said the airport screening incident occurred in February, which means that Greiner may have been detained for at least a few days. The statement also said that Russia has established a case involving the mass transportation of drugs, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
“We are aware of Greiner ’ s situation in Russia and are in close contact with her and her legal representatives in Russia, her family, the team, the WNBA and the NBA. ”
The State Department, which has been warning people not to travel to Russia for weeks, updated its travel advice on Friday, urging U.S. citizens not to travel to Russia and urging U.S. citizens to leave immediately, citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, "the possibility that Russian government security officials may harass U.S. citizens" and "the limited ability of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to assist U.S. citizens in Russia."
Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, said he was not aware of the detention, but that "the arrest of Greiner should be a wake-up call for all Americans in Russia."
Stop your business and get out of here. "
A State Department spokesman said the United States is aware of reports of Greiner ’ s arrest and provides consular services to Americans arrested overseas. “The WNBA fully supports Greiner and our priority is to get her back home safely and quickly. ”
Many WNBA players played in better-paid Russia during the offseason; Greiner played for Russia ’ s UMMC Ekaterinburg team for many years. A WNBA spokesman said on the 5th that all WNBA players have left Russia and Ukraine, except for Greiner.
Russia NBA United States citizens
The last one.
There is little hope that American prisoners will return home.
The next one.
Nearly 6,000 people have applied for asylum from Mexico in two months.
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Content: Source: RIA Novosti
“In the middle of the night, they just picked up, they said, ‘ Get ready. ’
There was no special preliminary information, ” Bout told the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
He added that he did not have time to say goodbye to anyone in prison because it was night.
Victor Bout returned to Russia on December 8.
The special board with him landed at the Moscow airport Vnukovo-2.
At the gangway, Booth was met by his wife Alla and his mother Raisa.
On the same day, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the successful exchange of Bout for American basketball player Brittney Greiner.
The procedure took place at Abu Dhabi Airport.
The ministry said that the Russian side has been negotiating with the United States for a long time, as Washington “categorically refused ” to include Bout in the exchange scheme.
At the same time, footage was published, which recorded the exchange of Booth for Greiner.
The full video shows how the basketball player leaves the colony in Mordovia, where she served time.
Waiting for a meeting with the released, Buta ’ s wife told Izvestia that after many years of separation she would meet her husband with cutlets and pilaf.
Also during the conversation with journalists, she added that she will bring him warm clothes to the airport.
According to Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov, while serving time in an American prison, Viktor Bout was subjected to powerful mental and physical pressure.
Commissioner for human rights in the Russian Federation Tatiana Moskalkova said that Bout and Greiner were pardoned by the heads of state.
This gives them freedom of movement when they return home.
Bout ’ s lawyer Alexei Tarasov said that initially the United States asked to exchange convicted of espionage Paul Whelan and Greiner for Bout.
Businessman Victor Bout has served half a 25-year sentence in a U.S. prison on charges of plotting to murder U.S. citizens and providing material support for terrorism.
He was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and handed over to the United States.
His mother this year appealed to the presidents of the United States and Russia with a request to negotiate the return of her son to Russia.
Two-time Olympic basketball champion in the U.S. national team Brittney Greiner was detained by customs officers at Sheremetyevo airport in February.
The girl was found vape with cannabis oil.
In relation to the athletes opened a criminal case.
2 Art. 229.1 (“Smuggling of narcotic drugs in a significant amount ”), and part 2.
1 of Art. 228 of the Criminal Code.
The basketball player on July 7 fully admitted her guilt, saying that she had no intention to commit a crime.
At the end of the summer, she was sentenced to nine years in prison.
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Title:

Content: International
International news.
The camps are worse than the prisons.
A Russian court on Thursday sentenced U.S. basketball star Britney Galina to prison in a penal colony that U.S. media say treats inmates worse than prisons, where guards intimidate inmates, who are sometimes forced to work as long as 16 hours a day.
The camps evolved from Soviet-era labor camps and are now scattered in different parts of Siberia, many of them in barracks. Although the treatment of prisoners has improved, they are still accused of brutality, overcrowding and poor conditions.
A member of the Russian anti-government band Pussy Riot said in 2012 that she had served a prison term without hot water, warm clothes or medicine, and that people who were sick could die.
Last year, Navalny, the leader of Russia ’ s largest opposition party, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violating the conditions of a suspended sentence for corruption in 2014.
In an interview with the New York Times last year, he said that the prison schedule included five hours of daily television viewing, and prisoners were forced to watch national television and propaganda films.
Former prisoners said they were being abused and forced to watch propaganda films.
Konstantin Kotov, a Russian activist who served 18 months in a detention facility, told the Associated Press last year that prison guards at the facility intimidated prisoners for trivial matters, such as failing to greet police officers.
Prisoners are required to stand for seven to eight hours, sit upright, with their feet folded, and their arms resting on their knees without any movement. Even scratching their noses requires permission from the inmates who are responsible for reporting the behavior of the prisoners to the prison guards.
William Pomeranz, a Russian research expert at the Kennan Institute at the Washington think tank Wilson Center, said many of the places were isolated in Siberia, where she did not know anyone, was difficult for outsiders to visit, and the environment could be harsh, and if she was sent there, it would be a great test for her mental state.
(New York Times / Newsweek)
Related words: Brittney Griner in Russia
Previous / Next News

Title:

Content: Billionaire Elon Musk breaks the silence about the arrest of WNBA star Britney Grenier in Russia, and Mimi interrogates the US government
Phoenix star Mercury Britney Grenier made headlines around the world for sad reasons.
A few months ago, she was arrested in Russia for transporting banned substances.
After that, her arrest began with a lengthy judicial procedure.
Recently, Grainer pleaded guilty on all counts, you can put her in custody for a long time.
This has been a major topic of discussion in the world of basketball and beyond for some time now.
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Stars like LeBron James have expressed their opinion, and the last celebrity to respond to the situation was billionaire Elon Musk.
Musk went to Twitter to publish a memorandum analyzing the actions of the government.
Elon Musk broke the silence about WNBA star Britney Grenier.
After the Russian court ruled against Britney Greiner, her status became a major topic of discussion around the world.
The U.S. government recently announced plans to try to bring Greener home.
Victor Bout, an arms dealer who could be used in prisoner exchanges to bring Grenier back to the United States.
However, this caused a negative reaction from all sides.
Elon Musk addressed the situation, and also questioned the government ’ s decision to exchange Greener. He wrote, “Maybe here because of weeds someone was released from prison? Together with the meme, he posted on Twitter.
Musk is not the only celebrity who expressed his opinion about the scandalous basketball player.
But unlike Musk, LeBron James spoke of his support for Griner a few weeks ago.
During the episode of The Shop LeBron, tell us about the situation.
He said he was not sure if he would return to the United States if he were Grainer.
His words drew a lot of criticism from all sides.
The love of Russians for winter sports is developing in Beijing
This forced the star of the Los Angeles Lakers to clarify his words on Twitter.
“I was just talking about how she probably felt emotionally along with many other feelings, thoughts, etc. in this cage that she was in for more than 100 days. ”
Announcements
The article continues under this announcement
Although he released the clarification, LeBron's words "Shop" are still used by fans around the world to criticize the four-time NBA champion.
Announcements
The article continues under this announcement
Watch this story: How many 40-point toys does Michael Jordan have?
What do you think of Britney Grenier?
Let us know in the comments below.

As a cultural critic focusing on women in sports, this case offers a compelling examination of how governments can use prominent athletes as political pawns in their broader geopolitical strategies.

This report examines Griner's arrest, her time in the Russian penal system, the political implications of her detention, the diplomatic efforts to secure her release, and the controversial prisoner exchange that ultimately brought her home.

Title:

Content: Go to materials
news
Victor Bout gave the first interview since his release from American prison.
RT employee Maria Butina spoke to him
Source: Meduza
I did not encounter Russophobia in prison — apparently because the prison is in America ’ s “red belt ”; other prisoners were sympathetic to Russia.
You have to be careful with the terminology when talking about Russophobia.
The West believes that they did not finish us off with the collapse of the USSR.
The fact that we are now trying not to depend on anyone is shocking news for them, and they believe that they can destroy us again.
To think about why I was exchanged now is unreliable.
exchanged and exchanged.
I do not think that I am important for Russian politics, we just do not abandon our own.
I wasn ’ t approached from Hollywood – if I had come, I would have come up with a more interesting story.
Hollywood became the propaganda department of the Washington Regional Committee.
I would not say that the Americans bent down by swapping me.
If the deal was made, it means that common ground was found, which was arranged by both sides.
This is an approximate retelling of Viktor Bout ’ s statements made in an interview with RT employee Maria Butina.
The full interview can be heard here.
Read also
American basketball player Brittney Greiner was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout In the United States, he is called the “merchant of death ”.
He was given 25 years in prison in the case of supplying weapons to Colombian militants
Read also
American basketball player Brittney Greiner was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout In the United States, he is called the “merchant of death ”.
He was given 25 years in prison in the case of supplying weapons to Colombian militants
Cover photo: FSB / TASS

Title:

Content: CNN: basketball player Greiner was exchanged for Victor Bout
16: 10 08.12.2022
The basketball player from the United States was released from the Russian prison in the framework of the exchange of prisoners.
© Photo by ZUMAPRESS, Globallookpress
Read us on:
American basketball player Brittney Greiner, who was convicted of drug smuggling, was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout.
This is reported by CNN with reference to a source.
Brittney Greiner was released from Russian detention as part of an exchange of prisoners... for Victor Bout.
Earlier, lawyers visited the American Brittney Greiner in the Mordovian correctional colony No2.
The basketball player has already begun to serve his sentence.
Recall that in late October, the Moscow regional court approved the American athlete Brittney Greiner nine years in prison for drug smuggling.
In February, a basketball player who arrived on a flight from New York was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport.
When inspecting things in her hand luggage, they found vapes with a liquid with a specific odor weighing 0.702 grams.
Subsequently, the examination found that it was hashish oil.
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Content: The Ministry of Emergency Situations warned about snowfall and wind in Moscow over the weekend
NEWS
December 16, 21: 54
Politics
Biden ’ s miscalculation on Russia was a victory for Putin and a blow to the United States – media
Photo: TASS / Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
The agreement between Russia and America on the exchange of Victor Bout and Brittney Greiner was a mistake for the United States.
This opinion was expressed by columnist Maximilian Hess in the material for Foreign Policy.
As noted by the observer, the mistake of American leader Joe Biden is his agreement to exchange Bout for a person who is not related to the special services and the US diplomatic corps.
This has had a negative impact on Americans, including those abroad.
The observer called the exchange of Bout for Greiner a victory for Putin and a blow to the national security of the United States.
Earlier, former US President Donald Trump also reacted negatively to the exchange of prisoners.
According to him, the exchange was unequal.
Victor Bout was sentenced in 2008 to 25 years for arms trafficking.
He was exchanged for Greiner, convicted of possessing hashish oil banned in Russia, at Abu Dhabi airport on December 8 after he served almost half of his prison sentence in the United States.
Before the exchange, prisoners were pardoned, so they do not need to serve their sentences in their countries.
More news - in the telegram channel "Moscow 24".
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Content: Tsargrad
4,498 followers
Russia ’ s proposals for prisoner exchange are not considered serious in the White House
Details of the deal, the press Secretary did not disclose, but it is assumed that we are talking about the exchange of American spy Paul Whelan and basketball player Brittney Greiner for the Russian businessman Victor Bout.
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Title:

Content: “Noise and clowning ”: US offer to exchange Booth called“ pre-election fuss ”
The US leadership does not care about the basketball player, but they need to show themselves as heroes, said on the air of NSN Andrei Klimov.
The US initiative to exchange Russian Viktor Bout for Americans Brittney Greiner and Paul Whelan is associated with the election campaign, said in an interview with the Telegram-channel “Radiotochka NSN ” Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Andrei Klimov.
Earlier, the United States offered Russia to exchange convicted of arms trafficking Victor Bout for basketball player Brittney Greiner, arrested in the case of drug smuggling, and suspected espionage Paul Whelan.
“They have elections soon, there is nothing to show to the public, and the current US leaders need to somehow show themselves as heroes, show that they save the lives of Americans.
That ’ s why they all start, there are no humane stories behind it.
They have elections in the first decade of November, now the election fuss begins.
These are very cynical people, they don ’ t care about the basketball player and everyone else, but they need positive news that can impress a certain segment of the electorate, ” Klimov said.
In his opinion, the actions of the United States resemble clown.
“For this news to be presented, there is all this noise.
At first they make noise, and then they try to engage in some negotiations.
But that's not how things are done.
If a serious exchange is being prepared, we will know about it after it has occurred.
And here what?
It is a typical advertising campaign.
This does not mean that there will be no exchange, but this requires normal negotiations, not clowning.
And the fact that we have to rescue our people is also true.
But while for the Americans this is the main motive, I do not see any other, ” concluded the interlocutor of “Radio Point NSN ”.
For his part, Alexander Brod, a member of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights under the President of the Russian Federation (HRC), told “Radio Point NSN ” that the United States uses a cynical, not a legal approach to exchange issues.
“The American side proposes to use the cynical conditions of barter, that is, exchange.
This is more a political approach than a legal one, which has been observed in relation to Russia recently by the United States and the West as a whole.
Unfortunately, the US penitentiary system does not use legal mechanisms to humanize Russians serving their sentences in the US.
Despite the fact that our diplomats, relatives, lawyers often make claims about the revision of cases, unsatisfactory conditions of detention, failure to provide medical care, ” Brod said.
Victor Bout was detained in 2008 in Thailand at the request of the US authorities, Paul Whelan – in Moscow in 2018 during the “espionage action ”.
Two-time Olympic basketball champion Brittney Greiner was detained in February 2022 in Sheremetyevo, where she was found hashish oil.
Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said on July 28 that there are no agreements on the exchange of Bout for Whelan and Greiner.
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PHOTO: RIA Novosti / / Alexey Malgavko
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Letter to the editor: What has country come to?

  • 0

What has our country come to when we are trading prisoners with a terrorist country? The fact the former Soviet military officer was serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States on charges of conspiring to kill Americans, acquire and export anti-aircraft missiles, and provide material support to a terrorist organization is disturbing. We let this man go for a basketball player. This was by far the worst trade in American government and sports history. We make choices in life that have consequences. Regardless if you are a famous basketball player or not, you should have to pay for your choices. What disturbs me the most is that Griner plead guilty to the charges against her. She admitted to her illegal action and yet we let a terrorist go to free her. I wonder how many lives that is going to cost our country moving forward.

Christopher CalfLooking,

Missoula

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Title:

Content: International
International news.
The camps are worse than the prisons.
A Russian court on Thursday sentenced U.S. basketball star Britney Galina to prison in a penal colony that U.S. media say treats inmates worse than prisons, where guards intimidate inmates, who are sometimes forced to work as long as 16 hours a day.
The camps evolved from Soviet-era labor camps and are now scattered in different parts of Siberia, many of them in barracks. Although the treatment of prisoners has improved, they are still accused of brutality, overcrowding and poor conditions.
A member of the Russian anti-government band Pussy Riot said in 2012 that she had served a prison term without hot water, warm clothes or medicine, and that people who were sick could die.
Last year, Navalny, the leader of Russia ’ s largest opposition party, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violating the conditions of a suspended sentence for corruption in 2014.
In an interview with the New York Times last year, he said that the prison schedule included five hours of daily television viewing, and prisoners were forced to watch national television and propaganda films.
Former prisoners said they were being abused and forced to watch propaganda films.
Konstantin Kotov, a Russian activist who served 18 months in a detention facility, told the Associated Press last year that prison guards at the facility intimidated prisoners for trivial matters, such as failing to greet police officers.
Prisoners are required to stand for seven to eight hours, sit upright, with their feet folded, and their arms resting on their knees without any movement. Even scratching their noses requires permission from the inmates who are responsible for reporting the behavior of the prisoners to the prison guards.
William Pomeranz, a Russian research expert at the Kennan Institute at the Washington think tank Wilson Center, said many of the places were isolated in Siberia, where she did not know anyone, was difficult for outsiders to visit, and the environment could be harsh, and if she was sent there, it would be a great test for her mental state.
(New York Times / Newsweek)
Related words: Brittney Griner in Russia
Previous / Next News

## The Arrest and Detention

In February 2022, Brittney Griner—a two-time Olympic gold medalist, seven-time WNBA All-Star, and center for the Phoenix Mercury—was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport near Moscow.

Title:

Content: International
International news.
The camps are worse than the prisons.
A Russian court on Thursday sentenced U.S. basketball star Britney Galina to prison in a penal colony that U.S. media say treats inmates worse than prisons, where guards intimidate inmates, who are sometimes forced to work as long as 16 hours a day.
The camps evolved from Soviet-era labor camps and are now scattered in different parts of Siberia, many of them in barracks. Although the treatment of prisoners has improved, they are still accused of brutality, overcrowding and poor conditions.
A member of the Russian anti-government band Pussy Riot said in 2012 that she had served a prison term without hot water, warm clothes or medicine, and that people who were sick could die.
Last year, Navalny, the leader of Russia ’ s largest opposition party, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violating the conditions of a suspended sentence for corruption in 2014.
In an interview with the New York Times last year, he said that the prison schedule included five hours of daily television viewing, and prisoners were forced to watch national television and propaganda films.
Former prisoners said they were being abused and forced to watch propaganda films.
Konstantin Kotov, a Russian activist who served 18 months in a detention facility, told the Associated Press last year that prison guards at the facility intimidated prisoners for trivial matters, such as failing to greet police officers.
Prisoners are required to stand for seven to eight hours, sit upright, with their feet folded, and their arms resting on their knees without any movement. Even scratching their noses requires permission from the inmates who are responsible for reporting the behavior of the prisoners to the prison guards.
William Pomeranz, a Russian research expert at the Kennan Institute at the Washington think tank Wilson Center, said many of the places were isolated in Siberia, where she did not know anyone, was difficult for outsiders to visit, and the environment could be harsh, and if she was sent there, it would be a great test for her mental state.
(New York Times / Newsweek)
Related words: Brittney Griner in Russia
Previous / Next News

Russian Federal Customs Service officials discovered hashish oil in electronic cigarettes (vapes) in her luggage during a routine screening.

The arrest occurred during a period of escalating tensions between Russia and the West following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian authorities charged Griner under Article 229.

Title:

Content: Go to materials
news
Victor Bout gave the first interview since his release from American prison.
RT employee Maria Butina spoke to him
Source: Meduza
I did not encounter Russophobia in prison — apparently because the prison is in America ’ s “red belt ”; other prisoners were sympathetic to Russia.
You have to be careful with the terminology when talking about Russophobia.
The West believes that they did not finish us off with the collapse of the USSR.
The fact that we are now trying not to depend on anyone is shocking news for them, and they believe that they can destroy us again.
To think about why I was exchanged now is unreliable.
exchanged and exchanged.
I do not think that I am important for Russian politics, we just do not abandon our own.
I wasn ’ t approached from Hollywood – if I had come, I would have come up with a more interesting story.
Hollywood became the propaganda department of the Washington Regional Committee.
I would not say that the Americans bent down by swapping me.
If the deal was made, it means that common ground was found, which was arranged by both sides.
This is an approximate retelling of Viktor Bout ’ s statements made in an interview with RT employee Maria Butina.
The full interview can be heard here.
Read also
American basketball player Brittney Greiner was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout In the United States, he is called the “merchant of death ”.
He was given 25 years in prison in the case of supplying weapons to Colombian militants
Read also
American basketball player Brittney Greiner was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout In the United States, he is called the “merchant of death ”.
He was given 25 years in prison in the case of supplying weapons to Colombian militants
Cover photo: FSB / TASS

Title:

Content: International
International news.
The camps are worse than the prisons.
A Russian court on Thursday sentenced U.S. basketball star Britney Galina to prison in a penal colony that U.S. media say treats inmates worse than prisons, where guards intimidate inmates, who are sometimes forced to work as long as 16 hours a day.
The camps evolved from Soviet-era labor camps and are now scattered in different parts of Siberia, many of them in barracks. Although the treatment of prisoners has improved, they are still accused of brutality, overcrowding and poor conditions.
A member of the Russian anti-government band Pussy Riot said in 2012 that she had served a prison term without hot water, warm clothes or medicine, and that people who were sick could die.
Last year, Navalny, the leader of Russia ’ s largest opposition party, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violating the conditions of a suspended sentence for corruption in 2014.
In an interview with the New York Times last year, he said that the prison schedule included five hours of daily television viewing, and prisoners were forced to watch national television and propaganda films.
Former prisoners said they were being abused and forced to watch propaganda films.
Konstantin Kotov, a Russian activist who served 18 months in a detention facility, told the Associated Press last year that prison guards at the facility intimidated prisoners for trivial matters, such as failing to greet police officers.
Prisoners are required to stand for seven to eight hours, sit upright, with their feet folded, and their arms resting on their knees without any movement. Even scratching their noses requires permission from the inmates who are responsible for reporting the behavior of the prisoners to the prison guards.
William Pomeranz, a Russian research expert at the Kennan Institute at the Washington think tank Wilson Center, said many of the places were isolated in Siberia, where she did not know anyone, was difficult for outsiders to visit, and the environment could be harsh, and if she was sent there, it would be a great test for her mental state.
(New York Times / Newsweek)
Related words: Brittney Griner in Russia
Previous / Next News

1 (smuggling of narcotic drugs in significant amounts) and Article 228 of the Russian Criminal Code, charges that carried a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Notably, as one document observes, "the reaction since the arrest has been stunningly quiet," despite Griner being "one of the greatest athletes in American sports—a gold-medal winner, a superstar, a champion.

Title:

Content: Go to materials
news
Victor Bout gave the first interview since his release from American prison.
RT employee Maria Butina spoke to him
Source: Meduza
I did not encounter Russophobia in prison — apparently because the prison is in America ’ s “red belt ”; other prisoners were sympathetic to Russia.
You have to be careful with the terminology when talking about Russophobia.
The West believes that they did not finish us off with the collapse of the USSR.
The fact that we are now trying not to depend on anyone is shocking news for them, and they believe that they can destroy us again.
To think about why I was exchanged now is unreliable.
exchanged and exchanged.
I do not think that I am important for Russian politics, we just do not abandon our own.
I wasn ’ t approached from Hollywood – if I had come, I would have come up with a more interesting story.
Hollywood became the propaganda department of the Washington Regional Committee.
I would not say that the Americans bent down by swapping me.
If the deal was made, it means that common ground was found, which was arranged by both sides.
This is an approximate retelling of Viktor Bout ’ s statements made in an interview with RT employee Maria Butina.
The full interview can be heard here.
Read also
American basketball player Brittney Greiner was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout In the United States, he is called the “merchant of death ”.
He was given 25 years in prison in the case of supplying weapons to Colombian militants
Read also
American basketball player Brittney Greiner was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout In the United States, he is called the “merchant of death ”.
He was given 25 years in prison in the case of supplying weapons to Colombian militants
Cover photo: FSB / TASS

Title:

Content: International
International news.
The camps are worse than the prisons.
A Russian court on Thursday sentenced U.S. basketball star Britney Galina to prison in a penal colony that U.S. media say treats inmates worse than prisons, where guards intimidate inmates, who are sometimes forced to work as long as 16 hours a day.
The camps evolved from Soviet-era labor camps and are now scattered in different parts of Siberia, many of them in barracks. Although the treatment of prisoners has improved, they are still accused of brutality, overcrowding and poor conditions.
A member of the Russian anti-government band Pussy Riot said in 2012 that she had served a prison term without hot water, warm clothes or medicine, and that people who were sick could die.
Last year, Navalny, the leader of Russia ’ s largest opposition party, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violating the conditions of a suspended sentence for corruption in 2014.
In an interview with the New York Times last year, he said that the prison schedule included five hours of daily television viewing, and prisoners were forced to watch national television and propaganda films.
Former prisoners said they were being abused and forced to watch propaganda films.
Konstantin Kotov, a Russian activist who served 18 months in a detention facility, told the Associated Press last year that prison guards at the facility intimidated prisoners for trivial matters, such as failing to greet police officers.
Prisoners are required to stand for seven to eight hours, sit upright, with their feet folded, and their arms resting on their knees without any movement. Even scratching their noses requires permission from the inmates who are responsible for reporting the behavior of the prisoners to the prison guards.
William Pomeranz, a Russian research expert at the Kennan Institute at the Washington think tank Wilson Center, said many of the places were isolated in Siberia, where she did not know anyone, was difficult for outsiders to visit, and the environment could be harsh, and if she was sent there, it would be a great test for her mental state.
(New York Times / Newsweek)
Related words: Brittney Griner in Russia
Previous / Next News

"

## Legal Proceedings and Incarceration

On July 7, 2022, Griner fully admitted her guilt in court but stated that she had no criminal intent, explaining that she had inadvertently packed the cartridges containing hashish oil.

Title:

Content: The Ministry of Emergency Situations warned about snowfall and wind in Moscow over the weekend
NEWS
December 16, 21: 54
Politics
Biden ’ s miscalculation on Russia was a victory for Putin and a blow to the United States – media
Photo: TASS / Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
The agreement between Russia and America on the exchange of Victor Bout and Brittney Greiner was a mistake for the United States.
This opinion was expressed by columnist Maximilian Hess in the material for Foreign Policy.
As noted by the observer, the mistake of American leader Joe Biden is his agreement to exchange Bout for a person who is not related to the special services and the US diplomatic corps.
This has had a negative impact on Americans, including those abroad.
The observer called the exchange of Bout for Greiner a victory for Putin and a blow to the national security of the United States.
Earlier, former US President Donald Trump also reacted negatively to the exchange of prisoners.
According to him, the exchange was unequal.
Victor Bout was sentenced in 2008 to 25 years for arms trafficking.
He was exchanged for Greiner, convicted of possessing hashish oil banned in Russia, at Abu Dhabi airport on December 8 after he served almost half of his prison sentence in the United States.
Before the exchange, prisoners were pardoned, so they do not need to serve their sentences in their countries.
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Letter to the editor: What has country come to?

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What has our country come to when we are trading prisoners with a terrorist country? The fact the former Soviet military officer was serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States on charges of conspiring to kill Americans, acquire and export anti-aircraft missiles, and provide material support to a terrorist organization is disturbing. We let this man go for a basketball player. This was by far the worst trade in American government and sports history. We make choices in life that have consequences. Regardless if you are a famous basketball player or not, you should have to pay for your choices. What disturbs me the most is that Griner plead guilty to the charges against her. She admitted to her illegal action and yet we let a terrorist go to free her. I wonder how many lives that is going to cost our country moving forward.

Christopher CalfLooking,

Missoula

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In late summer 2022, the Russian court sentenced her to nine years in a penal colony.

Title:

Content: International
International news.
The camps are worse than the prisons.
A Russian court on Thursday sentenced U.S. basketball star Britney Galina to prison in a penal colony that U.S. media say treats inmates worse than prisons, where guards intimidate inmates, who are sometimes forced to work as long as 16 hours a day.
The camps evolved from Soviet-era labor camps and are now scattered in different parts of Siberia, many of them in barracks. Although the treatment of prisoners has improved, they are still accused of brutality, overcrowding and poor conditions.
A member of the Russian anti-government band Pussy Riot said in 2012 that she had served a prison term without hot water, warm clothes or medicine, and that people who were sick could die.
Last year, Navalny, the leader of Russia ’ s largest opposition party, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violating the conditions of a suspended sentence for corruption in 2014.
In an interview with the New York Times last year, he said that the prison schedule included five hours of daily television viewing, and prisoners were forced to watch national television and propaganda films.
Former prisoners said they were being abused and forced to watch propaganda films.
Konstantin Kotov, a Russian activist who served 18 months in a detention facility, told the Associated Press last year that prison guards at the facility intimidated prisoners for trivial matters, such as failing to greet police officers.
Prisoners are required to stand for seven to eight hours, sit upright, with their feet folded, and their arms resting on their knees without any movement. Even scratching their noses requires permission from the inmates who are responsible for reporting the behavior of the prisoners to the prison guards.
William Pomeranz, a Russian research expert at the Kennan Institute at the Washington think tank Wilson Center, said many of the places were isolated in Siberia, where she did not know anyone, was difficult for outsiders to visit, and the environment could be harsh, and if she was sent there, it would be a great test for her mental state.
(New York Times / Newsweek)
Related words: Brittney Griner in Russia
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Unfortunately, the available documents provide limited details about

Title:

Content: CNN: basketball player Greiner was exchanged for Victor Bout
16: 10 08.12.2022
The basketball player from the United States was released from the Russian prison in the framework of the exchange of prisoners.
© Photo by ZUMAPRESS, Globallookpress
Read us on:
American basketball player Brittney Greiner, who was convicted of drug smuggling, was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout.
This is reported by CNN with reference to a source.
Brittney Greiner was released from Russian detention as part of an exchange of prisoners... for Victor Bout.
Earlier, lawyers visited the American Brittney Greiner in the Mordovian correctional colony No2.
The basketball player has already begun to serve his sentence.
Recall that in late October, the Moscow regional court approved the American athlete Brittney Greiner nine years in prison for drug smuggling.
In February, a basketball player who arrived on a flight from New York was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport.
When inspecting things in her hand luggage, they found vapes with a liquid with a specific odor weighing 0.702 grams.
Subsequently, the examination found that it was hashish oil.
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Read more
read below the following news

Title:

Content: International
International news.
The camps are worse than the prisons.
A Russian court on Thursday sentenced U.S. basketball star Britney Galina to prison in a penal colony that U.S. media say treats inmates worse than prisons, where guards intimidate inmates, who are sometimes forced to work as long as 16 hours a day.
The camps evolved from Soviet-era labor camps and are now scattered in different parts of Siberia, many of them in barracks. Although the treatment of prisoners has improved, they are still accused of brutality, overcrowding and poor conditions.
A member of the Russian anti-government band Pussy Riot said in 2012 that she had served a prison term without hot water, warm clothes or medicine, and that people who were sick could die.
Last year, Navalny, the leader of Russia ’ s largest opposition party, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violating the conditions of a suspended sentence for corruption in 2014.
In an interview with the New York Times last year, he said that the prison schedule included five hours of daily television viewing, and prisoners were forced to watch national television and propaganda films.
Former prisoners said they were being abused and forced to watch propaganda films.
Konstantin Kotov, a Russian activist who served 18 months in a detention facility, told the Associated Press last year that prison guards at the facility intimidated prisoners for trivial matters, such as failing to greet police officers.
Prisoners are required to stand for seven to eight hours, sit upright, with their feet folded, and their arms resting on their knees without any movement. Even scratching their noses requires permission from the inmates who are responsible for reporting the behavior of the prisoners to the prison guards.
William Pomeranz, a Russian research expert at the Kennan Institute at the Washington think tank Wilson Center, said many of the places were isolated in Siberia, where she did not know anyone, was difficult for outsiders to visit, and the environment could be harsh, and if she was sent there, it would be a great test for her mental state.
(New York Times / Newsweek)
Related words: Brittney Griner in Russia
Previous / Next News