PHOENIX, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 10: Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury prepares for game 1 of the WNBA Finals at Footprint Center on October 10, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Mattina/Getty Images)A top Pentagon official expressed concern that Russia is holding detained WNBA star Brittney Griner “as a high-profile hostage” to use as “leverage over the United States.”
Evelyn Farkas, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia and Ukraine from 2012-15, told Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Eisenberg that Russia may have targeted her as a bargaining chip.
“If we want her out of jail, Russia is going to have some terms,” Farkas said. “It could be a prisoner swap. They also could use it as an implicit threat or blackmail to get us to do something or not do something. Either way, they find it useful.”
On Saturday, the New York Times reported that Griner was arrested in Russia last month after custom officials said they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. They said they’re opening an investigation into the alleged transportation of drugs, a crime that carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
Russian Federal Customs Service did not name Griner or provide a time of arrest, but they identified the detained person as an Olympic gold medalist for the U.S. national team.
Griner has played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia during the WNBA offseason since 2015. The Phoenix Mercury said in a statement Saturday that they “are closely monitoring the situation.”
Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, thanked people for their support during “one of the weakest moments of my life” in an Instagram post.
“I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details,” Cherelle wrote. “Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely.”
William Partlett, an associate professor and Russian politics exert, told Eisenberg that Griner is in enhanced danger because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said the judge and investigators will “be waiting for instructions from above on how to proceed and this might include an attempt to try to use her release as a bargaining chip.”
Farkas said she believes Griner could be held “for years.”
“It’s a reminder to people doing business in Russia, living in Russia, traveling to Russia that there is no rule of law,” Farkas said. “In Russia, you are not protected.”
