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☆ Despite GOP criticism of the prisoner swap that freed Brittney Griner, Fiona Hill said Trump was 'not particularly interested' in freeing Paul Whelan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Critics, including Trump, asked why Brittney Griner was freed while Paul Whelan remains jailed. Hill said Trump wasn't "particularly interested in Paul [Whelan]'s case" while in office. "If I made that deal the Dems would chant, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA!" "I also have to say here that President Trump wasn't especially interested in engaging in that swap for Paul Whelan," Hill said. However, she added, Whelan, Griner, and Reed were all caught up in what she called "political games" while doing things that "seemed completely ordinary."

☆ California woman deported from Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Sarah Krivanek, a U.S. citizen ordered deported by a Russian court over a domestic dispute, has left Russia. While aboard a plane about to leave Moscow’s airport late on Thursday, she said she was flying to Los Angeles via Dubai. Her departure occurred on the same day as the release of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner in a prisoner swap with Russia. Unlike Griner, Krivanek was not part of a prisoner swap. A court in the city of Ryazan, southeast of Moscow, ruled on Nov. 10 that Krivanek was to be deported.

"Grateful for the long-overdue release of Brittney Griner today from Russian custody. "Thank you to every single person that kept Brittney Griner’s name alive #WEAREBG," tweeted one of her Phoenix Mercury teammates, Brianna Turner. The Biden administration wasn't able to secure Whelan's release because the Russian government is treating his case differently than Griner's, Biden said. “While we celebrate Brittney’s release, Paul Whelan and his family continue to suffer needlessly,” Blinken said. Share this -Link copiedWho is Viktor Bout, Russian arms dealer that the U.S. exchanged for Brittney Griner?

☆ WNBA star Brittney Griner released from Russian custody in a high-profile prisoner swap between the U.S. and Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | Andrea Mitchell | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

WASHINGTON — WNBA star Brittney Griner is free Thursday after the Biden administration negotiated her release from a Russian penal colony in exchange for an arms dealer, according to a senior administration official. People familiar with the negotiations for his release say the Russians refused to release Whelan without getting a Russian spy in return. The entrance to the Russian penal colony IK-2 on Nov. 19, 2022, where Griner began serving her sentence. The Biden administration has faced tremendous pressure to help bring home the 6-foot-9 Houston native. Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP fileGriner’s release is the second publicly known U.S. prisoner swap with Russia since the war in Ukraine started.

☆ Brittney Griner live updates: WNBA star released from Russia in a prisoner swap for Viktor Bout
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Tom_Winter_Nbc_News.Jpg | Zoë Richards | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Biden criticized Russia for “treating Paul’s case differently” than Griner’s and said that negotiations are ongoing. Biden’s administration had sought the release of both Griner and Paul Whelan. Griner’s release also marks a stunning turn of events from last month, when she began serving a nine-year sentence at a Russian penal colony more than 200 miles east of Moscow. The Whalen family has publicly criticized the Biden administration for not doing more to secure his release. People familiar with the negotiations for his release say the Russians refused to release Whelan without getting a Russian spy in return.

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool//File PhotoWASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been released in a prisoner swap with Russia and is on her way back to the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday, ending what he called months of "hell." The Russian foreign ministry said it traded Griner for Russian citizen Viktor Bout, a former arms dealer. The swap took place at the Abu Dhabi airport in the United Arab Emirates, Russian news agencies said. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone with Griner from the Oval Office, along with Griner's wife, Cherelle. For experts on the Russian security services, Moscow's lasting interest in Bout hint strongly at Russian intelligence ties.

Griner arrived in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi by private plane from Moscow as Bout was flown in on a private plane from Washington. Bout, nicknamed the "merchant of death," embraced a Russian official who greeted him and smiled broadly as he was led away. A joint UAE-Saudi statement said the UAE president and Saudi crown prince led mediation efforts that secured Griner's release. Griner was exchanged for Bout, a onetime Russian weapons dealer who had been convicted in the United States and imprisoned for 10 years. During the prisoner swap, Griner was met on the tarmac in UAE by chief U.S. hostage negotiator Roger Carstens.

☆ Factbox: Brittney Griner, U.S. basketball star caught up in Russia crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, stands inside a defendants' cage before a court hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, Russia August 4, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool/File PhotoDec 8 (Reuters) - A U.S. official said on Thursday that U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, who had been jailed in Russia in charges of possessing and smuggling illegal drugs, was now in U.S. custody. Russia said she had been traded for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer jailed in the United States. Brittney Griner, 32, is a double Olympic champion and seven-times All-Star player in the U.S. Women's National Basketball Association (WBNA). Known as "BG" to basketball fans, she has played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia during the WNBA winter off-season since 2014.

US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on June 27, 2022. Kirill Kudryavtsev | AFP | Getty ImagesWNBA star Brittney Griner is free Thursday after the Biden administration negotiated her release from a Russian penal colony in exchange for an arms dealer, according to a senior administration official. Maxim Shemetov | ReutersGriner will be flown to a medical facility in San Antonio where she will receive care, a senior administration official said. Cherelle Griner, will meet her there, according to a senior administration official. People familiar with the negotiations for his release say the Russians refused to release Whelan without getting a Russian spy in return.

☆ U.S. and Russia continue discussing release of Griner and Whelan - RIA quotes U.S. diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Russia, U.S. have ways to manage nuclear risks -RIA cites U.S. diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 28 (Reuters) - Russia and the United States have ways to manage nuclear risks at the level of intelligence agencies, charge d'affaires of the U.S. embassy in Moscow Elizabeth Rood told Russia's state news agency, adding that for now there are no meetings scheduled. Earlier this month, CIA director William Burns met Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russian foreign intelligence, and warned him about the consequences of any Russian use of nuclear weapons, the White House said. Russia has said the issues discussed were "sensitive" and declined to comment on them. read more"The United States has channels for managing risk with the Russian Federation, particularly nuclear risks and that was the purpose of CIA director Burns' meeting with his Russian counterpart," Rood said in a video on RIA's Telegram channel. read moreReporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Brittney Griner taken to penal colony in Russia's Mordovia region - source
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Filipp Lebedev | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool/File PhotoNov 17 (Reuters) - U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been taken to a penal colony in the Russian region of Mordovia, a source familiar with the case told Reuters on Thursday. In August, Griner was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony on drugs charges following her arrest at a Moscow airport in February with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. She was moved from a detention centre near Moscow on Nov. 4 to be taken to an undisclosed prison location. Russian authorities have given no information on her whereabouts for nearly two weeks, but the source said she had been taken to Female Penal Colony IK-2 in Yavas, about 500 km (300 miles) southeast of Moscow. Inmates of Russian penal colonies are required to work long hours for meagre pay on tedious manual tasks such as sewing.

American basketball player Brittney Griner, jailed in Russia in what the United States calls a wrongful detention, is being moved to a penal colony, her attorneys said Wednesday. “Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement Wednesday. Griner pleaded guilty in July, but said that she'd packed hurriedly for a flight and brought the canisters to Russia unintentionally. Griner treated injuries with medical cannabis, her attorneys argued at the trial. She had been in Russia to play with a Russian Premier League women’s team, UMMC Ekaterinburg, which she has done since 2014.

A Russian appeals court is due on Tuesday to hear the case of WNBA star Brittney Griner, sentenced to nine years in prison in what the United States has called a wrongful detention. Griner, 32, “is quite pessimistic about the outcome” of the appeal, one of her attorneys, Maria Blagovolina, said Monday on MSNBC. Medical cannabis is illegal in Russia, but it is legal in most of the U.S.United States officials say Griner is being wrongfully detained. “It is our goal to see them home as soon as we can.”Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, has said that Brittney Griner is being held hostage. When she was detained, Griner had been in Russia to play for a Russian Premier League women’s team, UMMC Ekaterinburg, which she had since 2014.

☆ Russian court will hear Brittney Griner's appeal Tuesday as WNBA star tries to trim 9-year sentence
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — A Russian court will hear WNBA star Brittney Griner's appeal on Tuesday after the American athlete was convicted on drug charges earlier this year. "She hopes there will be some reduction in her sentence," Maria Blagovolina, Griner's lawyer, told Andrea Mitchell of NBC News, adding the 32-year-old athlete will appear in court via video conference. Griner, who plays professional basketball in Russia during the WNBA offseason, was arrested in February after Russian authorities found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. Her lawyers said Griner only uses cannabis medically and unintentionally packed the cannabis canisters in her suitcase because the professional athlete was in a hurry. Under Russian law, the charge carried a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool/File PhotoMOSCOW, Oct 24 (Reuters) - U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner "does not expect miracles" at her appeal hearing on Tuesday against a nine-year Russian jail term for having cannabis oil in her luggage, her lawyers said in a statement. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"She is very nervous waiting for the appeal hearing. Brittney does not expect any miracles to happen but hopes that the appeal court will hear the arguments of the defense and reduce the term," they said. Griner pleaded guilty at her trial but said she had made an "honest mistake" and not meant to break the law. Washington says Griner was wrongfully detained and has offered to exchange her for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States.

☆ Russian airlines staff start to receive conscription notices -Kommersant
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File PhotoSept 23 (Reuters) - Russian employees at airlines and airports have started to receive conscription notices after President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial military mobilisation, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Friday citing sources. Employees of at least five airlines, including Russian top carrier Aeroflot (AFLT.MM), and staff at more than 10 airports received notices within a day of Putin ordering the mobilisation, the paper reported. Most pilots in airlines are reserve officers trained in military departments of flight schools, or privates who have completed military service. All Russian men are required to do a year's military service between the ages of 18 and 27, although university students may instead receive instruction from a military faculty alongside their chosen studies. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Anna Pruchnicka; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Biden sat down in the Oval Office with Cherelle Griner, wife of women's basketball star Brittney Griner, and Elizabeth Whelan, sister of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. Biden conducted the separate meetings to assure the families that the detainees "are at front of mind," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The United States in late July said it has put forward a "substantial offer" to secure the release of the two Americans. Last month, Russia's foreign ministry said it was engaged in "quiet diplomacy" with the United States about a potential prisoner swap that could include Griner and Whelan. Washington has offered to exchange Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout for Griner and Whelan, sources familiar with the situation have told Reuters.

☆ Russia pledges 19.5 bln roubles in state support for airlines
▼ + stars: | 2022-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Passenger planes owned by Russia's airlines, including Aeroflot and Rossiya, are parked at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, Russia March 1, 2022. REUTERS/Marina Lystseva/File PhotoApril 14 (Reuters) - Russia has pledged 19.5 billion roubles ($238 million) in state support for airlines to refund passengers flying on routes that have been cancelled due to sanctions, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Thursday. "The subsidies will be used to refund passengers the cost of tickets on routes that have been cancelled due to external restrictions, which will save carriers their own working capital, which means there will be financial resources to ensure flight safety," Mishustin said. ($1 = 82.0020 roubles)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Reuters; Editing by Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Gheorghe Cavcaliuc și cei doi colegi ai săi au ajuns la Chișinău
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-05 | by ( ) www.ipn.md time to read: +1 min

Gheorghe Cavcaliuc și cei doi colegi ai săi au ajuns la ChișinăuPreședintele Partidului Acasă Construim Europa, Gheorghe Cavcaliuc, și cei doi colegi ai săi, Valentina Geamănă și Alexandru Cîrpa, reținuți duminică dimineața pe Aeroportul Sheremetyevo din Moscova, au revenit la Chișinău, duminică noaptea. Aceștia au fost întâmpinați cu drapelele partidului, flori și aplauze, de mai mulți membri ai PACE, pe Aeroportul din Chișinău, transmite IPN. Dar eu am fost puternic și fiecare secundă mă gândeam că eu am să mă întorc și noi o să continuăm lupta pentru Moldova. Să nu stăm în genunchi la nimeni, noi să fim puternici, să nu le dăm voie să ne calce în picioare, asta e foarte important, e foarte, foarte important”, a declarat Gheorghe Cavcaliuc, la întoarcere. În dimineața zilei de duminică, 4 iulie, membrii PACE au anunțat că liderul lor, Gheorghe Cavcaliuc, alături de alți doi colegi, au fost reținuți de poliția de frontieră pe Aeroportul Sheremetyevo.

Persons: Gheorghe, Valentina Geamănă, Alexandru Organizations: Partidului Acasă, Aeroportul, Aeroportul Sheremetyevo, Externe, Integrării Europene Locations: Chișinău, Europa, Moscova, Moldova, Federația Rusă, Federației Ruse

Liderul Partidului Acasă Construim Europa (PACE) și alți doi membri de partid au fost reținuți pe aeroportul din Moscova. Preliminar, se constată nerespectarea premeditată a regulilor de intrare pe teritoriul Federației Ruse. Comisia Electorală Centrală solicită Ministerului de Externe și Ambasadei Rusiei în Moldova să explice, în regim de urgență, motivele reținerii președintelui PACE, Gheorghe Cavcaliuc. Despre aceasta a anunțat Partidul PACE care a primit o copie a demersului. Gheorghe Cavcaliuc, avea interdicție de intrare pe teritoriul Federației Ruse, mai mult ca atât acesta cunoștea despre faptul că dispune de această interdicție.

Persons: Gheorghe, Aceștia, Gheorghe Cavcaliuc, Cavcaliuc Organizations: Partidului Acasă, Externe, Integrării Europene, Comisia, Ministerului Locations: Moldova, Europa, Moscova, Sankt Petersburg, Federația Rusă, Federației Ruse, Rusiei

„Eu mă bucur că voi sunteți la fel de puternici, eu eram la fel de puternic. Liderul Partidului Acasă Construim Europa (PACE) și alți doi membri de partid au fost reținuți pe aeroportul din Moscova. Comisia Electorală Centrală solicită Ministerului de Externe și Ambasadei Rusiei în Moldova să explice, în regim de urgență, motivele reținerii președintelui PACE, Gheorghe Cavcaliuc. Despre aceasta a anunțat Partidul PACE care a primit o copie a demersului. Gheorghe Cavcaliuc, avea interdicție de intrare pe teritoriul Federației Ruse, mai mult ca atât acesta cunoștea despre faptul că dispune de această interdicție.

În aceste circumstanțe, reprezentanții concurentului electoral au încercat să atragă și cetățenii Republicii Moldova stabiliți în Federația Rusă în amenajarea provocării respective. Ministerul Afacerilor Externe și Integrării Europene atrage din nou atenţia asupra necesităţii respectării prevederilor legale în vigoare pentru călătoriile în străinătate, inclusiv în scopul desfășurării întâlnirilor cu diaspora. La final, Ministerul Afacerilor Externe și Integrării Europene invită actorii politici să se abțină de la încercările de a atrage instituțiile serviciului diplomatic în activități de campanie electorală. Liderul Partidului Acasă Construim Europa (PACE) și alți doi membri de partid au fost reținuți pe aeroportul din Moscova. Comisia Electorală Centrală solicită Ministerului de Externe și Ambasadei Rusiei în Moldova să explice, în regim de urgență, motivele reținerii președintelui PACE, Gheorghe Cavcaliuc.

Persons: Aceștia, Gheorghe Cavcaliuc Organizations: Ministerul, Externe, Integrării Europene, Partidului Acasă, Comisia, Ministerului Locations: Federația Rusă, Moscova, Republica Moldova, Chișinău, Republicii Moldova, Sankt Petersburg, străinătate, Europa, Moldova, Federației Ruse, Rusiei

☆ Ministerul Afacerilor Externe, despre reținerea lui Cavcaliuc: „Au fost încălcate regulile de intrare pe teritoriul Federației Ruse”
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-04 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: +1 min

Ministerul Afacerilor Externe, despre reținerea lui Cavcaliuc: „Au fost încălcate regulile de intrare pe teritoriul Federației Ruse”Ministerul Afacerilor Externe și Integrării Europene s-a autosesizat în cazul reținerii pe aeroportul internațional Sheremetyevo din orașul Moscova a lui Gheorghe Cavcaliuc și alți doi membri PACE. Potrivit unui comunicat publicat pe site-ul ministerului aceștia au încălcat regulile de intrare pe teritoriul Rusiei. „Preliminar, se constată nerespectarea premeditată a regulilor de intrare pe teritoriul Federației Ruse. Totodată, în regim prioritar a fost dispusă deplasarea funcționarilor consulari ai ambasadei pentru verificarea situației, confirmarea informațiilor referitoare la cetățenia și identitatea persoanelor implicate și întreprinderea acțiunilor consulare necesare în astfel de cazuri. Amintim că, în dimineața zilei de astăzi pe aeroportul internațional Sheremetyevo din orașul Moscova a fost reținut președintele PACE, Gheorghe Cavcaliuc, și alți doi colegi de ai săi.

Persons: Gheorghe Cavcaliuc, Gheorghe Organizations: Externe, Integrării Europene Locations: Federației Ruse, Moscova, Rusiei, Federația Rusă

☆ VIDEO: Gheorghe Cavcaliuc a fost reținut pe aeroportul din Moscova
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-04 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: 1 min

Sursa foto: facebookVIDEO: Gheorghe Cavcaliuc a fost reținut pe aeroportul din MoscovaLiderul PACE, Gheorghe Cavcaliuc, a fost reținut în această dimineață, pe aeroportul din Moscova, capitala Federației Ruse. Acesta se îndrepta la o întâlnire cu diaspora din Sankt Petersburg și a aterizat la Moscova în această dimineață. „Mi-au luat documentele și au spus că trebuie să facem un control suplimentar. Probabil ceva se întâmplă, ceva nu-i clar, așteptăm să vedem ce o să facă, dar nu-i în regulă comportamentul celor de la poliția de frontieră”, a declarat Cavcaliuc din Aeroportul Sheremetyevo. Cavcaliuc a scris pe o pagină de socializare că atât el, cât și ceilalți membri din partidul său sunt vaccinați împotriva Covid-19 și au teste negative, astfel el a fost condus de oamenii în uniformă într-o cameră separată.

Persons: Cavcaliuc, Gheorghe Organizations: Aeroportul Sheremetyevo Locations: Moscova, Federației Ruse, Sankt Petersburg

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