Brittney Griner as HOSTAGE? Fears Russia may use WNBA star as 'leverage over the US'
There are growing fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use WNBA player Brittney Griner as a "high profile hostage" following her arrest in Moscow.
The 31-year-old basketball star was detained at the Sheremetyevo airport last month after the Russian Federal Customs Service allegedly found vape cartridges that contained hashish oil in her luggage. The seven-time WNBA All-Star center for Phoenix Mercury and two-time Olympic gold medalist had flown in to play for her Russian local basketball team during the WNBA off-season when she was detained by airport authorities. Now, there are concerns that Russia may use Griner as leverage owing to the rapidly deteriorating relations between the US and Russia following Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
READ MORE
Shocking clip shows Ukrainian nuclear plant staff begging Russian troops to 'stop shooting!'
US basketball player Mo Creek stuck in Ukraine amid Russian invasion safely crosses border
If found guilty of the drug smuggling charges she faces, Griner may be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. “If we want her out of jail, Russia is going to have some terms,” Evelyn Farkas, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia and Ukraine, told Yahoo Sports. “It could be a prisoner swap. They also could use it as an implicit threat or blackmail to get us to do something or not do something. Either way, they find it useful.”
“We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA," Griner’s agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas said in a statement. “As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”
Griner's wife Cherelle thanked supporters for their prayers and good wishes on Saturday, March 5. “Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me regarding my wife's safe return from Russia,” she wrote on Instagram while sharing a photo of her and Brittney. “Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated. I love my wife wholeheartedly, so this message comes during one of the weakest moments of my life. 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. Thank you!”
Russian Customs Service released a video that showed a traveler at the airport who appeared to look like the WNBA player, wearing a mask and a black sweatshirt as she went through security. The clip, which was later shared on Telegram, showed an airport official putting the traveler's belongings through a scanner before multiple items were placed in a plastic evidence envelope and sealed for investigation. “The customs inspection of hand luggage carried by a US citizen confirmed the presence of 'vapes' with a liquid with a specific smell, and an expert found that the liquid is a narcotic cannabis oil (hash oil),” according to the Russian customs service.
WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia last month at a Moscow airport after a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges. Footage released Saturday shows the WNBA star going through security at a Moscow airport, and her luggage being searched. pic.twitter.com/Tuubab8Oko
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 6, 2022
The State Department confirmed to The Sun that it was aware of reports of a US citizen being arrested in Moscow. Meanwhile, a WNBA spokesperson said in a statement, "Brittney Griner has the WNBA’s full support and our main priority is her swift and safe return to the United States."