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A Russian court extended the detention of WNBA star Brittney Griner to May 19, adding the most dangerous main tension in US-Russian relations since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, Russian news agency Tass reported on Thursday.
Mrs. Griner, 31, seven-time WNBA All-Star center He’s being held for the Phoenix Mercury on drug charges, which could face up to 10 years in prison.
Russian Federal Customs Service said earlier this month He said authorities detained the American basketball player after they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in his luggage at Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow in February. They did not immediately reveal the name of Ms. Griner, who was later identified by Tass.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Ms. Griner is one of the few WNBA players to compete on international women’s teams in the off-season. a fraction Salary of his colleagues in the NBA has been playing for the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2014.
Representative Colin Allred, Texas Democrat, He told The New York Times last week She said Ms. Griner, a Texas native, was detained on February 17 and was working with the State Department to have her released. Mr Allred said Russian officials had so far refused the State Department’s request for a meeting between consular officials and Ms. Griner.
American officials, He said some details of Ms. Griner’s detention, including that of Antony J. Blinken, could not be disclosed due to privacy restrictions.
Since being detained, Miss Griner’s family and friends They stepped forward to express their shared desire to get him home safely.
Mrs. Griner’s wife, Cherelle T. Griner, said Instagram post last week, “We love you baby!” and “There are no words to express this pain.”
There is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommendation He warned all US citizens in Russia to leave the country and warned that the US Embassy in Moscow had “serious limitations” on its ability to provide assistance to Americans there. The WNBA said on March 5 that all its other players in Ukraine and Russia had left those countries.
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