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US basketball player Brittney Griner in a Russian prison cell on October 25, 2022
Photo: EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA / REUTERS
Jailed US basketball player Brittney Griner has been taken to a penal colony in Russia's Republic of Mordovia.
"Brittney started her sentence at IK-2 in Mordovia," her lawyers said, adding that they were able to visit her client earlier in the week.
The 32-year-old is "doing as well as possible," it said. "She's trying to stay strong and adapt to her new environment." Mordovia, a region in central Russia, is known for its prisons and harsh climate.
Griner has been in jail since February.
She was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport for carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
The two-time Olympic champion was sentenced to nine years in prison at the beginning of August, and her appeal against the sentence was rejected at the end of October.
Last week, US President Joe Biden raised hopes for new negotiations.
"I hope that now that the election is over, Mr. Putin will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner swap," Biden said at a post-midterm election news conference.
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