Exactly two months after Brittney Griner was arrested for allegedly bringing drugs into Russia, the same question looms over her case as has from the beginning.
Is the WNBA star the defendant in a criminal investigation? Or the diplomatic pawn of a hostile government?
From the start, some experts have described Griner as a “high-profile hostage” targeted by Russia as a potentially valuable bargaining chip. Others say Griner is at risk of becoming entangled in the conflict between Russia and the West, but insist that so far there is no evidence the Kremlin has interfered with her criminal case.