A court in Khimki near the Russian capital Moscow on Thursday evening found American basketball player Brittney Griner guilty of drug smuggling and possession and sentenced her to nine years in prison.
A few hours earlier, the prosecution had called for nine and a half years in prison.
A conviction of the American is considered a prerequisite for an exchange with imprisoned Russians, which in turn is the only hope of the 31-year-old athlete to be released in the foreseeable future.
Frederick Smith
Political correspondent for Russia and the CIS in Moscow.
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Griner was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on February 17, a week before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
She came from New York and has been working for a Yekaterinburg club since 2015 during breaks in the American WNBA.
According to the Russian authorities, the Russian authorities found cartridges with cannabis oil in Griner's luggage.
The substance is legal in the United States but banned in Russia, so possession and smuggling carries up to 10 years in prison.
Wife sees Griner as a "political pawn"
In the United States, among many others, Brittney Griner's wife supports the player and sees her as a "political pawn".
Numerous other observers also suspect that Russia is using the case to free compatriots from prison.
In April, the American Trevor Reed, who was sentenced to nine years in prison in July 2020 in Moscow in a questionable trial for allegedly attacking police officers, was exchanged for a Russian pilot who was arrested in Liberia in 2010 and later in the United States was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug smuggling.
In addition to Griner, Washington also wants Paul Whelan released.
The former American soldier was sentenced to 16 years in prison in Moscow in June 2020 for alleged espionage.
An exchange of Griners and Whelans for Viktor But, a Russian arms dealer who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012, is under discussion.