Recently released images of the penal colony where Britney Griner worked and lived shows the WNBA star’s conditions before his release.
The footage shows Griner, 32, inside a warehouse at the IK-2 women’s penal colony in Mordovia. She was transferred to the penal colony, located about seven hours from Moscow, in mid-November.
Griner is seen in a warehouse wearing a coverall, trying to follow instructions given to her in Russian.
According to ESPNGriner’s height and large hands prevented her from doing the usual work assigned to women at IK-2, sewing uniforms, and instead Griner “wore fabric all day,” said her attorney, Maria Blagovolina, at the point of sale.
FSB via Storyful
ESPN also reported that Griner was recently recovering from the flu during his final days in custody in Russia.
The WNBA star’s hair was cut short in the footage, which her lawyers told ESPN was the result of Griner’s uncertainty about when she would be coming home. “It’s very cold in there and every time she washed her hair she was cold and shivering,” Blagovolina said.
Additional shots show where the 6’9″ Phoenix Mercury star slept – a single bed with a white metal frame. Other footage shows Griner waiting in line at the colony’s cafeteria and eating with another inmate.
RELATED: Brittney Griner Says She’s ‘Good’ and ‘Happy’ in Footage of Being Released from Russian Jail
Blagovolina previously told PEOPLE that the transfer to Mordovia penal colony was “a very difficult time for her” and had “very stressed” Griner as she was “trying to adapt to a new environment”.
Britney Griner
Despite the harsh conditions, Blagovolina said Griner “is a fighter” and that it was “extremely difficult for her,” the WNBA star “has done very well” adjusting to life in the colony prison.
Griner’s return flight to the United States can also be seen in the footage. “I’m fine,” she said on the plane as she returned home. When asked about her mood, she said, “I’m happy.”
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“Yes, I’m ready,” Griner told officials aboard the plane when asked if she was ready for the flight.
Griner looked relieved when she was seen reviewing documents in the opening moments of the video. Next, she is shown outside holding luggage as she stands next to Russian prison guards and gets into a van, before she is seen on the plane.
RELATED VIDEO: Brittney Griner Lands in US After Russian Jail Release: ‘Welcome Home BG!’
Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison for drug trafficking, was released in a one-for-one prisoner exchange for international arms dealer Viktor Bout Thursday, the White House announced Thursday.
Later in the video, Griner is seen exiting the plane in the United Arab Emirates and passing Bout on the tarmac.
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