BRITTNEY GRINER

The family of Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia for espionage, says that he has resumed contact after unexpectedly becoming unreachable in November

The family of Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia for espionage, says that he has resumed contact after unexpectedly becoming unreachable in November.

The Phoenix Mercury star now languishes in one of Russia's worst prisons. Here are the conditions Brittney Griner likely faces in IK-2.

‘It is literally the harshest colony in the whole Russian prison system,’ former inmate and Pussy Riot member Nadya Tolokonnikova said. By Stephanie Holland,THE ROOTSShortly after the final appeal of her nine-year sentence for drug smuggling and possession was denied, WNBA champion Brittney Griner was suddenly moved to a Russian penal colony. She spent two years in the same penal colony for “hooliganism” after a protest by her group. “I’m terrified that Brittney Griner was moved to IK-2,” she told MSNBC. Brittney Griner is an American citizen who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and is now being used as a political pawn between two superpowers.

Brittney Griner, a U.S. basketball star, is serving her sentence at the IK-2 penal colony in Mordovia, about 350 miles southeast of Moscow.

A senior Russian diplomat says that Russia and the United States have repeatedly come close to reaching agreement on a prisoner exchange and a deal remains possible before the year’s end

A senior Russian diplomat says Russia and the United States repeatedly came close to reaching agreement on a prisoner exchange and a deal remains possible before the year’s end.

A senior Russian diplomat says Moscow has postponed a round of nuclear arms control talks with the United States set for this week because of stark differences in approach and tensions over Ukraine.

A Russian musician who served a two-year sentence at a Russian penal colony in Mordovia told MSNBC that she's "terrified" for Brittney Griner.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and Hall of Fame Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer each wore white long-sleeved T-shirts featuring Brittney Griner's name and image during their game Sunday.

The United States maintains Russia has not negotiated in good faith to bring WNBA superstar Brittney Griner back home. She is serving a nine-year sentence.

WNBA star Brittney Griner this week began serving her nine-year sentence for drug possession at a Russian penal colony.

"Brittney is doing as well as could be expected and trying to stay strong as she adapts to a new environment," her lawyers said in a statement.

WNBA player Brittney Griner could be freed in exchange for a Russian arms dealer nicknamed the "merchant of death".

Brittney Griner has been transported to a Russian penal colony in Mordovia, the WNBA star's legal team confirmed Thursday. Griner met with her lawyers this week.

WNBA star Brittney Griner was taken to a Russian penal colony shrouded in secrecy. What we know about prison life in Mordovia from former prisoners.

The U.S. basketball star was transferred to a prison colony in Mordovia — 300 miles southwest of Moscow — to begin serving out a nine-year sentence on drug charges.

WNBA star Brittney Griner has begun serving her nine-year sentence for drug possession at a Russian penal colony.

WNBA star Brittney Griner has been taken to a penal colony in Russia’s Mordovia region, Reuters reported Thursday.

The State Department said Tuesday that Russia has yet to give official notice on Brittney Griner's "specific current location" days after she was transferred to a remote penal colony.

The Biden administration has maintained its determination to bring home Griner and Whelan. Russian authorities recently transferred Griner to the country’s dreaded penal colony, where many prisoners have detailed abuse along with a multitude of other human rights violations. Russian officials jailed Griner in February when authorities arrested her at a Moscow airport after finding a small amount of cannabis oil in her luggage. During her court testimony, Griner said she’s still unsure how cannabis oil ended up in her luggage. She said a doctor recommended cannabis oil for her injuries on the basketball court.

A show of prison artwork by a Russian arms trader serving 25 years in the United States and the focus of speculation about a prisoner swap that could free WBNA star Brittney Griner has opened at the upper chamber of the Russian parliament.

A show of prison artwork by Viktor Bout, the Russian arms trader serving 25 years in the United States and the focus of speculation about a prisoner swap that could free WNBA star Brittney Griner, opened Tuesday at the upper chamber of the Russian parliament. The exhibition at the Federation Council underlines Russia's strong interest in the release of Bout, whom Russian officials say is an “entrepreneur” who was unjustly arrested and sentenced to 25 years but who is characterized abroad as the ruthless “Merchant of Death.” Russia has agitated for his release since he was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and later convicted of terrorism for allegedly trying to sell up to $20 million in weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, to shoot down U.S. helicopters.

Catch up on key developments and the latest in-depth coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russia did not inform the U.S. of Brittney Griner's transfer to a penal colony ahead of time and has yet to engage in talks about her release "with the seriousness of purpose," the State Department said Thursday.

The vast network of labor camps was inherited by modern Russia: They used to be the Soviet Union's gulags, and there's little sign they improved since then.

Maria Alyokhina was sent to a penal colony as a member of the feminist punk collective. Authorities "teach you how to forget your right to choose," she says. She urges Griner "to not forget yourself."

USA TODAY's Lindsay Schnell discusses why Brittney Griner was moved to a Russian penal colony.

Despite talks of a potential prisoner swap, Russia has transferred WNBA star Brittney Griner to a remote prison colony. As Ian Lee reports, the sprawling prison camps have a grim reputation.

Griner's legal team says she has left a detention center for a penal colony — a common type of Russian prison where detainees work for minimal pay.

Griner has been moved from a detention center outside of Moscow and is being sent to a Russian penal colony to begin serving out her nine-year sentence on drug smuggling charges, her lawyers said.

President Joe Biden says he hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin will be more willing to negotiate the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner now that the U.S. midterm elections are over.

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin will be more willing to negotiate the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner now that the U.S. midterm elections are over. “My hope is that now that the election is over, that Mr. Putin will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange,” Biden told reporters at a news conference.

American basketball star Brittney Griner has been sent to a penal colony in Russia to serve her sentence for drug possession, her legal team said Wednesday. A Russian court rejected an appeal of her nine-year sentence last month. The eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

Word of the move drew a sharp rebuke from the U.S. She was sentenced to nine years in prison after being convicted for possession of a small quantity of cannabis oil.

U.S. Embassy officials in Russia visited imprisoned WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug possession. The U.S. is trying to get Griner and Marine veteran Paul Whelan released in a prisoner swap.

"We are told she's doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

President Joe Biden says he hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin will be more willing to negotiate the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner now that the U.S. midterm elections are over.

Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow visited jailed WNBA star Brittney Griner on Thursday, just weeks after a Russian court rejected her appeal of her nine-year sentence for drug possession. State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a tweet that the American representatives “saw firsthand her tenacity and perseverance despite her present circumstances." Price said the Biden administration is continuing to press for the immediate release of Griner and Paul Whelan, who was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison in Russia on espionage-related charges that he and his family say are bogus, and "fair treatment for every detained American.”

Brittney Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, on Tuesday spoke out for the first time since a Russian court ruled to uphold the WNBA star's nine-year prison sentence.

A Kremlin official said Wednesday that any talks of a prisoner swap involving WNBA star Brittney Griner must be "conducted in silence under a tight lid on any information."

The Kremlin has reiterated that any discussions about a possible swap involving U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner who is serving a nine-year prison sentence in Russia for drug possession must be strictly confidential.

Russia is set to begin annual exercises involving large-scale drills of its strategic nuclear forces, even as tensions flare with the West over Ukraine.

Brittney Griner's attorneys said they were "disappointed" in a Russian court's decision on Tuesday to reject her appeal of a nine-year prison sentence for drug possession.

Some prisoners are tortured, or beaten by fellow inmates. Some have to work 16-hour days. A few are forced to watch Russian propaganda on repeat. This is the world of the Russian penal colony, into which Brittney Griner is about to be inducted for a nine-year term. Penal colonies are the descendants of gulags, the notorious Stalin-era labor camps where millions of Russians lost their lives. The treatment of prisoners has improved markedly since then, according to rights groups. Griner’s lawyers

As her detainment has dragged on, the WNBA superstar has grown increasingly concerned about the miserable conditions she might face in a penal colony.

Though the WNBA superstar had hoped for a reduced sentence, she did "not expect any miracles," her lawyers said in a statement provided to Insider.

The court ruled Tuesday to uphold WNBA star Brittney Griner's sentence for having cannabis oil vape cartridges in her luggage at a Moscow airport.

WNBA superstar Brittney Griner's nine-year prison sentence was upheld in Russia on Tuesday. She was convicted of drug possession in August.

In Russia, jailed WNBA star Brittney Griner is appealing her drug smuggling conviction. She was appearing via a video feed from a women’s detention center outside moscow. The judge's verdict is expected Tuesday as well. The high-stakes race for Senate in Pennsylvania will see Democrat John Fetterman facing off with his Republican opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz in their first and only debate. And the White House says President Biden will be speaking with Britain's new prime minister Rishi Sunak in the coming days.

A Russian court has rejected an appeal by U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner of her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession, a step that could move her closer to a possible high-stakes prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington.

Griner was arrested in February after Russian authorities found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

"Brittney does not expect any miracles to happen but hopes that the appeal court will hear the arguments of the defense and reduce the term," her lawyers said in a statement.

As Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine hits the eight-month mark, here's a look at key developments and the latest in-depth coverage of the war.

The WNBA star, who has been wrongfully detained in Russia since February, reportedly refused lawyers' offer to bring her a basketball to play prison.

NBA players are seizing their spotlight to keep attention on Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner, who is detained in Russia.

Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving used his time to address the Barclays Center crowd before his team's home opener to tell President Biden to bring Brittney Griner home.

"We hope that she comes home soon, that everybody's doing their part to get her home," Curry said.

Brittney Griner spent her 32nd birthday in a Russian prison, awaiting an appeal to her nine-year sentence for drug possession that’s set for next week.

The White House is seeking to avoid an in-person meeting between President Biden and President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit. Even a hallway picture would be too much.

Stephen Curry took the microphone in the middle of Golden State’s championship ring ceremony Tuesday night to make an impassioned plea in support of Brittney Griner as the WNBA star spent her 32nd birthday in a Russian prison.

Oct. 18 marked American women's basketball star Brittney Griner's 32nd birthday, but she was not able to celebrate with family and friends because she remains jailed in Russia.

From infrequent showers to regular headaches, the WNBA superstar is struggling as her wrongful detainment in Russia stretches into its ninth month.

WNBA star Brittney Griner is at her “absolute weakest moment in life right now” as she faces a hearing in Russia later this month for her appeal of a nine-year prison sentence for drug possession.

A Russian court has set a date for American basketball star Brittney Griner’s appeal against her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession.

Brittney Griner anchored a dominant frontcourt that made the U.S. women’s basketball team the favorites in any international tournament.

The Biden administration should create an additional senior-level position at the White House National Security Council to focus on cases of Americans wrongfully detained in foreign countries.

Breanna Stewart scored 22 points and Alyssa Thomas had 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in her debut for the United States, which beat Belgium 87-72 in its World Cup opener.

Brittney Griner’s absence is weighing on the minds of her USA Basketball teammates, who are trying to fill the void created by her absence as they prepare for the FIBA World Cup that begins Thursday in Australia.

Top WNBA players are finding other places to compete this winter, not wanting to go back to Russia after the arrest and conviction of Brittney Griner on drug possession charges and the country's invasion of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden met with family members of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detained in Russia, Paul Whelan.

President Joe Biden plans to meet at the White House on Friday with the families of WNBA star Brittney Griner and Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan, both of whom remain jailed in Russia.

Bill Richardson, who has worked to secure the releases of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, visited Moscow this week and held meetings with Russian leaders.

The Ukrainian military says it has repelled more than a dozen Russian attacks in the country’s east and north, including attempts to advance on key cities in the eastern industrial heartland known as the Donbas.

Russian news agencies reported that lawyers for American basketball star Brittney Griner have filed an appeal of her nine-year Russian prison sentence for drug possession.

Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a frequent emissary in hostage negotiations, says he's hopeful about the chances of a two-for-two prisoner swap that could result in the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan.

The Kremlin says it’s open to talking about a possible prisoner exchange involving American basketball star Brittney Griner but strongly warned Washington against publicizing the issue.

Following Brittney Griner’s sentencing in Russia to nine years in prison Thursday, WNBA players, coaches and fans locked arms and tried to send the American basketball star strength during a moment of silence.

Now that WNBA star Brittney Griner has been convicted of drug possession and sentenced to nine years in prison, attention turns to the prospect of a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia that could get her home.

A judge in Russia convicted American basketball star Brittney Griner of drug possession and smuggling.

American basketball star Brittney Griner is back in court for her trial for cannabis possession amid U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure her release.

Since Brittney Griner last appeared in her trial for cannabis possession, the question of her fate has expanded from a cramped courtroom on Moscow’s outskirts to the highest level of Russia-U.S. diplomacy.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he has spoken to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and urged Moscow to accept a U.S. proposal to release WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detainee, Paul Whelan.

Russia's top diplomat says he’s open to a call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss a possible prisoner swap involving American basketball star Brittney Griner.

The Kremlin has warned that a possible prisoner swap with the United States involving American basketball star Brittney Griner needs to be negotiated quietly without fanfare.

The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan.

WNBA star Brittney Griner testified at her drug possession trial in Russia that an interpreter translated only a fraction of what was said during questioning when she was detained at Moscow’s airport in February and officials told her to sign documents without giving an explanation.

The latest Russian court hearing in the drug trial of American basketball star Brittney Griner has focused on testimony about countries that regard cannabis as having legitimate medicinal uses.

The spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry says the United States has shown disrespect for Russian law by characterizing basketball star Brittney Griner’s jailing on drug charges as “wrongful detention.”.

Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner was front and center at The ESPYS.

The Las Vegas Aces have come out of the All-Star break on a roll, winning three road games and scoring more than 100 points in two of victories.

A lawyer for WNBA star Brittney Griner at her drug possession trial has given a Russian court a letter from a U.S. doctor recommending she use cannabis to treat pain.

The drug possession trial of WNBA star Brittney Griner has resumed, with the head of the Russian club she plays for in the offseason and a teammate from that squad testifying in support of her character and what she has meant for women’s basketball in the country.

A Russian arms dealer labeled the “Merchant of Death” and who once inspired a Hollywood movie is back in the headlines again.

LeBron James is publicly criticizing the United States’ handling of WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner’s case in a trailer for an upcoming episode of his television show: “The Shop: Uninterrupted.”.

WNBA enters final month of the season with 11 of 12 teams in contention for playoff spots and five franchises within three games of each other atop the standings.

A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and the rest of the WNBA All-Stars wore Brittney Griner’s name and her No. 42 on the back of their jerseys for the second half of Team Wilson’s 134-112 victory over Team Stewart.

Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles are playing in the WNBA All-Star Game for the last time.

Nneka Ogwumike says Brittney Griner is an American hero.

President Joe Biden has spoken by phone with the sister of Paul Whelan, an American who has been imprisoned in Russia for more than three years.