U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner went on trial Friday in a court on the outskirts of Moscow to hear drug charges that could see her serve up to 10 years in a Russian jail.
Griner, 31, was formally told at this first hearing that she was charged with intentionally importing narcotics into Russia. She spoke to say she understood the charges. The judge set the next hearing for July 7.
Griner, who has played regularly in Russia, as well as in the U.S. Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), was arrested at a Moscow airport in February, allegedly with vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.
The case takes place against a backdrop of high tension between Moscow and Washington over the conflict in Ukraine. U.S. officials say Griner has been detained wrongfully.
Griner arrived at Khimki City Court, near Sheremetyevo Airport, in handcuffs shortly after noon local time (0900 GMT), wearing a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt and sneakers without laces.
Three employees of the U.S. embassy, including deputy chief of mission Elizabeth Rood, were present in the courtroom. Griner sat in the defendant's cage with a plastic bag of cookies and a bottle of mineral water.
Griner told a Reuters reporter she was finding detention hard because she could not speak Russian, and that she was unable to keep up her fitness because she could do only general exercises such as stretching.
Her lawyers declined to say how she planned to plead.
'Tough lady'
"She is a bit worried because she has the trial and the sentencing in the close future. But she is a tough lady. I think that she will manage," lawyer Alexander Boykov said after the hearing.
Rood said the United States is working very hard to bring Griner home: "She asked me to convey that she is in good spirits and is keeping up the faith."
Asked about the case, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied it was politically motivated.
"I can only operate with known facts, and the facts indicate that the eminent athlete was detained with illegal drugs that contained narcotic substances. There are articles in Russian legislation that provide for punishment for such crimes," he told reporters. "Only the court can pass a verdict."
U.S. officials and numerous athletes have called for the release of Griner — or "BG" as she is known to basketball fans.
Some have expressed concerns that Moscow could use the two-time Olympic gold medalist to negotiate the release of a high-profile Russian in U.S. custody.
Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury, had played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Women's Basketball Premier League to boost her income during the WNBA off-season, like several other U.S. players.
Some have left the Russian league since Griner's detention and Russia's military intervention in Ukraine.
Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, told CNN in an interview Thursday that she hoped for a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, saying: "I would love for him to tell me he cares."
The U.S. government has warned citizens against traveling to Russia in light of the "potential for harassment against U.S. citizens by Russian government security officials."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week there was "no higher priority" than bringing home Griner and other Americans "illegally detained" abroad.
