Brittney Griner Moved to Russian Penal Colony; Lawyers Unaware of Her Exact Location

WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia since February, is being moved to a Russian penal colony.

According to ESPN's T.J. Quinn, Griner's Russian legal team announced the move Wednesday and noted that the process began Friday. Her team also said that neither they nor Griner's family are aware of exactly where she will be taken.

Quinn added that the lawyers told him transfers can take "weeks or months."

Griner's lawyers, who said they were not told she had been moved until Tuesday, added that it could take up to two weeks before Griner's family receives an update on her location via official mail.

Russian authorities first took Griner into custody on Feb. 17 at an airport near Moscow when she was found to be in possession of vape cartridges containing hashish oil.

Griner pleaded guilty to drug smuggling charges and was sentenced to nine years in prison. She appealed, but the conviction was upheld, prompting United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken to call it "another failure of justice, compounding the injustice of her detention."

Griner was declared "wrongfully detained" by U.S. officials in May.

Per Quinn, the United States made an offer in June for a potential prisoner swap, but the offer was turned down and the White House said in a statement that there has been a "lack of good faith negotiation" from the Russian government since then.

Despite the lack of success thus far, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that the government continues to work to bring Griner home:

"Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long. As the Administration continues to work tirelessly to secure her release, the President has directed the Administration to prevail on her Russian captors to improve her treatment and the conditions she may be forced to endure in a penal colony."

According to Quinn, Griner last spoke to her lawyers Nov. 2, and she hasn't had outside contact with anyone since Thursday, when she met with U.S. embassy officials.

The 32-year-old Griner is widely regarded as one of the best women's basketball players in the world, having earned eight WNBA All-Star selections, two WNBA scoring titles, two WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards and one WNBA championship during her nine seasons with the Phoenix Mercury.

Griner, who has also played professionally in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2014, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Team USA as well.