WNBA star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia on allegations of drug smuggling and her pretrial detention has apparently been extended to May 19.
The United States stepped up its push Friday for consular access to Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who is detained in Russia on allegations of drug smuggling, as a member of a Russian state-backed prison monitoring group said Griner was faring well behind bars. Ekaterina Kalugina told The Associated Press on Friday that she visited Griner on Monday at the pretrial detention facility outside of Moscow where she’s being held and spoke to her with the help of a cellmate who speaks Russian and English and served as an interpreter. “Her physical condition is fine, she’s holding up fine, and I’d even say that she is fairly calm and isn’t anxious,” Kalugina said of the Phoenix Mercury star, whose legal ordeal comes amid tension between Russia and the U.S. over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kalugina is a member of the public monitoring commission that visits lockups in that part of Russia. Such commissions, which operate throughout the country, position themselves as independent but rarely challenge Russian authorities on major issues. Griner’s lawyers have been visiting her regularly and have brought her care packages that include food and personal items, but she hadn’t met with a U.S. consul yet, Kalugina said. The State Department issued a statement Friday demanding access to Griner, who plays professionally in Russia during the WNBA offseason. “We are closely engaged on this case and in frequent contact with Brittney Griner’s legal team. We insist the Russian government provide consular access to all U.
