WNBA Star Brittney Griner Is Detained in Russia

“I know the administration is working hard to try and get access to her and try to be helpful here,” Allred said Wednesday, per ESPN. “But obviously, it's also happening in the context of really strained relations. I do think that it's really unusual that we've not been granted access to her from our embassy and our consular services.”

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Griner, who plays for the WNBA team Phoenix Mercury, also plays for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason, which is why she was overseas at the time of her arrest. According to People, Russian customs officers at the Moscow airport allegedly found vape cartridges that contained liquid with hash oil. She was detained on February 17.

What makes her arrest and detainment more concerning for American officials, though, is the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. With the United States’ vocal support of Ukraine, American government officials are especially worried for Griner’s safety.

"So this is not the first time in recent years that an American has been detained and then held either without reason or without a sufficient kind of explanation," Allred said. "What's obviously different here is that Brittney is an extremely high-profile athlete, and it's happening during the course of a Russian-begun war in Ukraine, in which we are deeply opposed to what they're doing."

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Russia has also not been forthcoming with information about Griner’s arrest and imprisonment, making the whole process of getting her out of Russia even more difficult. “I do think that it's really unusual that we've not been granted access to her from our embassy and our consular services," Allred said. However, he maintained that he was confident that the embassy and Griner’s lawyers would be able to get her out safely.

According to CNN, Russian officials have said that Griner faces up to 10 years in prison on the drug charges.

Photo via Getty/ Christian Petersen