WNBA Star Brittney Griner has been away from home for over 250 days now. And after all this time, she and her family may be in for some good news. Reports have emerged that Griner and former marine Paul Whelan’s fate could be sealed soon after a big update.

Griner was arrested in February, and she was later put on trial. The Russian courts later found her guilty and sentenced her to nine years in prison. And recently, her appeal was rejected by a Russian regional court. This means that she will start her sentence at one of the penal colonies, where living conditions are expected to be very harsh.

The US government has been negotiating for months with its Russian counterparts. They have even offered a prisoner swap program to Russia which will send a Russian citizen in a US prison back home, while they get back Brittney Griner and another citizen, Paul Whelan who has been there for a couple of years.

Massive news may be incoming about Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan

While negotiations have been going on behind the scenes, there have been no news or any update regarding the issue. But there is some news finally coming out, as the US State Department spokesperson gave an update about the situation.

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The Spokesperson Ned Price said that they are in active discussions with Russia to free Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan. He said, “We have not weighed in on the various judicial proceedings and judicial steps because, as we’ve made clear, we believe that these proceedings have been largely shambolic.” He also said the ‘active discussions’ have been talking place in recent days and are still in progress.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has called the entire Russian judicial process a sham. He said that the Biden administration is doing everything in its power and using every available channel to free Griner and Whelan.

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This is the biggest update that the Griner and Whelan families have had in a long time. While this does not give any specific information about their potential release, it does show that the government is doing what it needs to do to strike a deal with Moscow. Hopefully, they will get to hear good news soon.