What is known about the arrest of Britney Griner in Russia

Griner, 31, is a WNBA champion with the Phoenix Mercury and plays for the Russian team UMMC Yekaterinburg in the off-season.

Now, the mystery surrounding her detention in Russia has become emblematic of growing tensions between the US and Russia during Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Here’s what we know (and don’t know) about what happened to the two-time Olympian:

The Russian Federal Customs Service said the American was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after hash oil was found on him.

“When a US citizen was passing through the green corridor at Sheremetyevo Airport upon arrival from New York, a service dog from the canine department of Sheremetyevo Customs discovered the possible presence of narcotic substances in the escorted baggage,” the customs service said in a statement.

“Customs screening of a US citizen’s hand luggage confirmed the presence of vapes with a specific smelling liquid, and the expert determined that the liquid is cannabis oil (hash oil), which is a narcotic substance.”

The Russian statement does not mention Griner’s name, but says the detainee is an American professional basketball player and two-time US Olympic champion.

Griner’s wife, Cherell Griner, publicly called for her wife’s release.

Both USA Basketball, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the Phoenix Mercury, and the WNBA players’ union have publicly shared their concerns about the Griner situation in Russia.

When was Griner arrested?

Russian customs said in a statement that the US citizen was detained “in February 2022” after flying to Moscow from New York, but did not say on what day.

The customs department said that a US citizen has been placed in a pre-trial detention center and a criminal case has been opened on the fact of smuggling drugs in significant quantities.

The crime carries a potential penalty of five to 10 years in prison.

Where is Greener now?

As of March 7, Griner’s exact whereabouts are unknown.

Her high school basketball coach, Debbie Jackson, said she feared the Greener case would be used for political purposes.

“My biggest fear is that … she will become a political pawn,” Jackson told CNN.

What was Griner doing in Russia?

“Greiner was in Russia for work playing for the Yekaterinburg UMMC, where she helped the team win their fifth Euroleague Women’s Championship in 2021,” wrote Tamryn Spruil, a women’s basketball journalist. Spruill started the petition “Britney Griner’s Safe, Quick and Safe Return to the USA” on Change.org.

“Like many athletes competing in the WNBA, Griner plays overseas during the WNBA offseason because her salary is exponentially higher in other countries,” Spruill wrote on the petition page.

“For WNBA players, this means playing overseas, while NBA rookies who have not yet played professional games are receiving salaries many times higher than what WNBA veterans who have won titles and competed in the Game could ever expect. stars,” Spruill said.

“In these realities, there is no fault of the players. They just want to be paid what they deserve, like their male counterparts, and they don’t deserve to be drawn into geopolitical turmoil for that.”

What are the chances of getting Griner out of Russia?

A member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee said it would be “very difficult” to get Griner out of Russia.

“Our diplomatic relationship with Russia does not exist at the moment,” Democratic Rep. John Garamendi of California told CNN on Monday.

It will be 'very difficult' to get detained US basketball star Britney Griner out of Russia, MP says

“Perhaps, during the various negotiations that may take place, it can become one of the solutions. I do not know”.

He also noted that “Russia has very, very strict rules and laws for LGBT people,” though it’s not clear if those rules and laws could affect Griner’s case.

But the Biden administration is working to get Griner out of Russia, members of the black caucus in Congress said after meeting with President Joe Biden on Monday.

“The best news we got today was that they are aware of this and that it is on the agenda,” Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who represents Griner’s hometown of Houston, Texas, told reporters.

Noting a potential 10-year sentence for Greener, Jackson Lee added, “We know about Britney Greener and we know we have to move on with her situation.”

In an Instagram post, Griner’s wife described the agony of waiting.

“People say, ‘Stay busy.’ However, there is no task in this world that can keep any of us from worrying about you. My heart, our hearts skip a beat every day.” This was announced on Monday by Sherel Griner on Instagram.

“There are no words to express this pain. I’m hurt, we’re hurt.”

CNN’s Lucy Kafanov, Wayne Sterling, Rosa Flores, Ellie Malloy, Elizabeth Joseph, and Valery Egorov contributed to this report.