US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on June 27, 2022. - Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and WNBA champion, was detained at Moscow airport in February on charges of carrying in her luggage vape cartridges with cannabis oil, which could carry a 10-year prison sentence. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
<p>Brittney Griner&#8217;s case in Russia is making progress—though not in the direction many have called for since her detainment. A Russian court determined the WNBA player&#8217;s <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-entertainment-politics-sports-brittney-griner-e855442ad005104a3eed495438ca03ed">trial will begin</a> on July 1, according to <em>AP News. </em>The news broke on Monday as photos of a shackled Brittney started to make their rounds.</p>
<p>The photos show Brittney arriving at her hearing at Khimki Court near Moscow on Monday (June 27). She wore a dark grey t-shirt, locs with apparent new growth, and some thin round glasses. Officers pulled her wrists together using handcuffs.</p>
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<p>On Monday, the court determined Brittney will remain behind bars for the duration of the trial—and the next six months. And a statistic presented by <em>AP </em>gives little hope as &#8220;fewer than 1%&#8221; of defendants in Russia get an acquittal. Not only that but if the court acquits Brittney, there&#8217;s a possibility the court can overturn the decision.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Brittney Arrested For Vape Cartridges Containing Cannabis Oil</strong></h5>
<p>As previously reported, <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/wnba-star-brittney-griner-detained-on-drug-charges-in-russia-for-carrying-vape-cartridges-in-her-luggage/">Brittney was arrested</a> nearly four-and-a-half months ago at a Moscow airport. Authorities say they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage while she entered the county via the Sheremetyevo Airport. The <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/the-phoenix-suns-reveal-new-court-decal-in-support-of-brittney-griner/">Phoenix Mercury</a> center player was returning to the country from New York to play for a Russian team.</p>
<p>It is a common practice among American athletes to travel to international countries to play competitive sports during their U.S. off-season. Brittney had reportedly been following this practice since 2015.</p>
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<p>Still, her detainment proved to be serious. Brittney faces up to 10 years in prison if the court convicts her of &#8220;large-scale transportation of drugs.&#8221; In March, she <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/brittney-griner-reportedly-pleads-not-guilty-to-drug-charges-in-russia-update/">pled not guilty</a> to the drug trafficking charges.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Russian President Spokesperson Says Brittney Is Not A Hostage</strong></h5>
<p>Her detainment reportedly took place one week before Russia invaded Ukraine with troops. However, this didn&#8217;t become common knowledge until later. The timing couldn&#8217;t have been worse, as the relationship between the U.S. and Russia soured over the invasion and imposed sanctions.</p>
<p>In May, the <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/update-u-s-officials-have-determined-that-brittney-griner-was-wrongfully-detained-in-russia/">Biden administration</a> determined Russian authorities had &#8220;wrongfully detained&#8221; Brittney. As a result, the administration moved her case to a state department that negotiates the release of hostages and wrongfully detained Americans.</p>
<p>But a spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin denied the administration&#8217;s claim that Brittney is a hostage.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;She violated Russian law, and now she&#8217;s being prosecuted. It&#8217;s not about being a hostage,&#8221; Dmitry Peskov told <em>NBC News. </em>&#8220;There are lots of American citizens here. They&#8217;re enjoying their freedoms&#8230;but you have to obey the laws.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
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<p>Meanwhile, Brittney&#8217;s wife recently said the pair <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/brittney-griners-wife-cherelle-says-anniversary-call-didnt-happen-because-no-one-was-scheduled-to-answer-phone/">didn&#8217;t celebrate</a> their fourth anniversary. Even from behind bars, the two had at least planned to enjoy a phone call. However, Cherelle&#8217;s calls went unanswered.</p>
<p>Despite the two-week notice, the U.S. Embassy in Russia didn&#8217;t staff anyone for the day of the call. They were in charge of connecting the wives. Similarly, Brittney tried to contact Charelle almost a dozen times with no response.</p>
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