Russia arrests Brittney Griner; Blinken promises to help all Americans detained there

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States is working to free Americans in Russian custody, and he urged other Americans in Russia to leave the country. He did not mention WNBA star Brittney Griner by name, but referred to her detention. Griner, who plays for both the Phoenix Mercury and Russian basketball club UMMC Ekaterinburg, was arrested at a Moscow-area airport and accused of transporting drugs. The WNBA and the Mercury acknowledged the detention on Saturday, but it is unclear when she was arrested. "There's only so much I can say given the privacy considerations at this point," Blinken said Sunday alongside Moldovan President Maia Sandu in Chisinau. "Whenever an American is detained anywhere in the world, we, of course, stand ready to provide every possible assistance, and that includes in Russia."

The Department of State's consular service will visit detained Americans, help them get legal representation and ensure that prisoners are receiving appropriate medical care, but it cannot provide its own legal assistance or assert the American's innocence to a court. Blinken noted two other Americans detained in Russia: Former Marines Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed. Whelan was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage. He had pleaded not guilty. Reed was convicted in 2020 for intentionally endangering the lives of police and sentenced to nine years in jail. Reed has said he was drunk the night of the event and does not remember it. Reed lost an appeal in June 2021, and his sentence was upheld.