In what can only be defined as some pretty terrifying news, Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner has been detained by Russian authorities at an airport near Moscow, according to a report from the New York Times’ Jonathan Abrams.
The report of Griner’s detainment follows last week’s news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and escalating tensions with other nations around the world because of the invasion.
Griner was detained after the Russian Federal Customs Service reportedly found vape cartridges in her luggage that contained hashish oil. The customs service didn’t originally identify the detainee as Griner — they only said they’d detained an “American basketball player” on Saturday. It was only revealed to be Griner later on by a Russian news agency.
This is a pretty sticky and horrifying situation. Here’s what we know about it so far.