Yesterday the news of Brittney Griner’s arrest in Russia on drug charges rocked us all.
According to the Russian Federal Customs Service, the Phoenix Mercury star was detained and had her baggage searched, which is when they found the prohibited items.
“The customs inspection of the hand luggage being carried by the U.S. citizen confirmed the presence of vapes with specifically-smelling liquid, and an expert determined that the liquid was cannabis oil (hash oil), which is a narcotic substance,” said the Service in a statement.
The video footage of Griner at Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow clearly shows the WNBA star at the security checkpoint, but this is where the situation becomes cloudy.
According to multiple outlets such as The New York Times, the Russian Service said the incident took place in February. That means that it occurred at least a week ago. Some claim that it took place as much as three weeks ago, but that’s unconfirmed as of now.
What is confirmed is that Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th and the United States and other nations imposed severe economic sanctions on Russia in response.
Even if Griner’s arrest occurred before the invasion, it still happened during a month where tensions between Russia and Ukraine were escalating daily.
That should capture everyone’s attention.
The U.S. advised all American citizens to leave Russia. The WNBA confirmed all their players were home safely, but Griner was the last one remaining.
Why is this important? Because now Russia has a high-profile bargaining chip against the United States, which is leading the charge to cripple Russia’s economy as punishment for their attack on Ukraine.
But it’s not their only one.
As Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon reminded us during her MSNBC interview, Griner is actually the third high-profile American behind bars in Russia.
“This is tricky,” said St. Julian-Varnon. “Besides the fact that you have an active war in Ukraine, there are also two other high profile American cases, Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed. These are both American citizens who have been arrested and imprisoned in Russia. They’re currently serving very long prison sentences, and the United States was talking to [Russian foreign minister] Sergey Lavrov about this in January before the escalating tensions in Ukraine.”
Whelan and Reed are two former Marines who are serving time in Russian jails for espionage and endangering the lives of Russian police officers since 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Both parties claim their innocence.
A Bigger Pawn to use
This is the frightening situation Griner faces now, and she has more stacked against her.
First, the charge of drug possession and “large-scale transportation of drugs” is a severe one in Russia. If convicted, Griner faces 5-10 years in prison.
Second, Griner is a Black and gay woman, which expands the size of the target on her back.
This should cause everyone to think.
Brittney Griner wasn’t new to the country.
She’s played basketball for the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg for several years, so she’s familiar with the customs and, most likely, the drug laws. With that in mind, did she really have a vaping pen and hashish on her? And did her physical stature make her an easy target for a country that was about to declare war?
Griner’s arrest took place sometime last month, yet we’re all just learning about it. Either the U.S. was keeping it under wraps or Russia, which employs a state-controlled media operation, decided to release the news in response to the U.S.’s increased economic sanctions.
Attorney Adrienne Lawrence published a Twitter thread yesterday that posed these questions and more. She rightfully raised the questions because the timing and news of Brittney Griner’s arrest feel too planned, coincidental and purposeful.
Russia has a history of overcharging Americans and parading the cases for all to see.
This makes us concerned for Griner while simultaneously questioning Russia’s ability to manipulate situations, especially high-profile cases.
Brittney Griner is an American gold medalist and one of the best players in the WNBA.
She’s unapologetic about who she is and that, as Lawrence properly noted, opposes the orthodox, authoritative, and oppressive Putin-controlled Russia.
Those qualities made her the ideal mark for a tried and true wartime strategy. Find a hostage with importance and use them against your enemy.
Griner can become a pawn used to retaliate against America’s punitive sanctions, entangling her in an already tense and dangerous situation.
And while negotiations for her release commence, Russia can continue its invasion of Ukraine and expansion into eastern Europe.
Griner’s situation is serious, yet this is not an effort to create and circulate conspiracy theories.
But while we hope for her safe return home, we cannot, and should not, ignore the impact of Griner’s arrest and how it factors into current events.
