The US State Department has accused Russia of wrongfully detaining Brittney Griner, three months after the WNBA star was arrested at an airport in Moscow.

A State Department official told CNN that the Biden administration has now reclassified the Phoenix Mercury basketball player as wrongfully detained by Russian authorities and that her case is now being handled by the office of the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) Roger Carstens.

The move comes as the WNBA plans to honour Ms Griner with a floor decal as the season is slated to begin on Friday without one of its star players.

Ms Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport back on 17 February, with Russian authorities claiming that she was carrying an oil derived from cannabis in vape cartridges found in her luggage.

The cannabis derivative is legal in many countries but, under Russian law, Ms Griner could face up to 10 years in prison.

Between WNBA seasons, the Olympic medallist played in Russia’s women’s basketball league and was returning from competing at the time of her arrest.

Her detention also came just one week before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, beginning a war that has so far killed thousands of civilians.

The US – and other Western allies – has been supporting Ukraine in its war efforts by sending military equipment and billions of dollars worth of aid.

The State Department’s shift in response to Ms Griner’s detention comes just days after Russia and the US engaged in a prisoner swap.

Former Marine Trevor Reed finally returned to US soil last week after being held by Moscow since 2019 for allegedly assaulting a police officer while intoxicated in the Russian capital.

Mr Reed was released in an exchange for the release of Konstantin Yaroshenko, a former Russian pilot who was being held in the US on drug trafficking charges.

Ms Griner is scheduled to appear in Russian court for a hearing on 19 May.

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