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Brittney Griner is spending her birthday in a Russian prison. The WNBA superstar was detained in February and eventually sentenced to nine years in prison for drug smuggling.
The basketball player is a political prisoner and the United States has attempted to free her. Unfortunately, Vladimir Putin doesn't consider Griner to be a priority and is focused on the invasion of Ukraine.
Joe Biden's administration has even offered to release Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner. Bout is a dangerous arms dealer who is imprisoned in the United States. But this wasn't enough to entice Russia.
Yury Ushakov, an aide to Putin, recently addressed the Brittney Griner situation. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that Russia has plans to release the basketball star anytime soon.
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Brittney Griner's latest update is quite pessimistic
It's been eight months since Griner was arrested in Russia. She was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow and was sentenced to nine years in prison in August.
Despite efforts by Joe Biden's administration, the former NBA champion is still behind bars in Russia. Here is what Ushakov had to say about the US president:
"I think that he is thinking first and foremost about the upcoming midterm elections so he keeps emphasizing the need to bring back home the basketball player who was detained for drug smuggling," Ushakov said.
"However, it’s not the main issue that we are concerned about,” he added, according to the Guardian.
Uskahov is very familiar with the United States. The former Soviet diplomat served as the Ambassador of Russia to the U.S. from 1998 to 2008.
The 2022 United States elections are scheduled for Tuesday, November 8. With less than three weeks to go, political parties and candidates are doing their best to persuade voters.
Russia have a lot on their plate at the moment. They are in no rush to resolve the Brittney Griner situation. While both countries are dealing with their own issues, Brittney Griner is serving the first year of her nine-year sentence.
Griner's basketball career and life in Russia
The WNBA superstar is no stranger to Russia. Since 2014, she's played in the Russian Premier League for UMMC Ekaterinburg. She has won three national championships and four EuroLeague titles with the franchise.
Besides her success overseas, Brittney Griner has also won a WNBA championship and been selected to eight All-Star games. She's led the league in scoring and blocks on multiple occasions.
WNBA salaries are not very high, which is why the basketball star plays overseas. Last season, she was paid $221,450 from her contract with the Phoenix Mercury. That made her one of the highest-paid players in the WNBA.
While playing overseas, Griner was paid at least $1 million for her services. The basketball seasons in Russia only last a couple of months a year. It makes her WNBA salary look even worse in comparison.
