US President Joe Biden seeks to bring US national Brittney Griner, jailed in Russia, back home before the upcoming midterm elections but it’s not a priority issue for Moscow, Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov told Rossiya-1 on Sunday.
“In this tense situation, 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. However, it’s not the main issue that we are concerned about,” said in an interview with host of the “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin” TV program Pavel Zarubin.
On August 4, the Moscow Region’s Khimki City Court sentenced Griner to nine years in a penal colony. She was found guilty under Article 228.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (illegal acquisition, storage, transportation or possession of narcotic drugs without intent to sell) and Article 229.1.2 of the Russian Criminal Code (significant drug smuggling). The fact that Griner had pleaded guilty and her sporting achievements were taken into account as mitigating factors, and the period of pre-trial custody was applied to her sentence for time already served.
Griner was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport for attempting to smuggle hashish oil into Russia. She pleaded guilty but said that she had put the hashish oil into her bag in a hurry and had no criminal intent. As a member of the US women’s national team, Griner won gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 World Championships, as well as at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. Before her arrest, she played for Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg team.
