U.S. Govt Says WNBA Star Brittney Griner Was 'Wrongfully Detained' By Russia, What This Change Of Classification Means

More than two months after WNBA superstar Brittney Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport and accused of having cannabis oil in her luggage, the U.S. State Department finally said on Tuesday said that she had been “wrongfully detained,” signaling a significant shift in how officials will work to get her home.

Griner had been traveling to Russia on a regular basis over the past seven years to play on a team there when she was arrested one week before the invasion of Ukraine.

"The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner," the State Department said, reported ESPN.  

News of this change of status in Griner’s case comes several days after the US-Russian prisoner swap that freed former marine Trevor Reed.

What Changed? 

Officials and other sources close to the case declined to say what led to the change in attitude or what it would take to secure her release though they stopped short of calling Griner a hostage, which is a different legal classification than wrongful detainee.

"Typically -- and I don't believe this will change -- in order to leave the space to have an outcome we all want and desire -- which is to bring her and any American detained or unjustifiably detained home -- we typically don't talk about it extensively," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday while en route to Alabama.

Why It Matters

The change in official designation means that the U.S. government will no longer wait for Griner's case to play out through the Russian legal system and will seek to negotiate her return, noted ESPN. It also means that Griner's friends, family and supporters including the WNBA players can now bring as much attention to her case as they wish.

Up until now, the WNBA and Griner’s friends and family were apparently following the State Department’s advice to keep a low profile so as not to make her a valuable asset to the Russian government.

"We feel really good about it," a source close to Griner told ESPN. "But we also know it can drag out, so we don't want to get our hopes too high."