What countries now were part of ussr? Who was the American woman basketball player who was arrested for pot. Tell me the facts how she was arrested

1. What countries composed the USSR — the short list every reader needs

The USSR’s final constitutional composition comprised 15 Soviet Socialist Republics that became independent states after the union’s collapse: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan ^[1]. Multiple reputable histories and reference works repeat this 15‑republic roster as the canonical list of post‑Soviet states ^{[5] [6]}.

2. How the USSR turned into 15 countries — a quick political sketch

The Soviet Union was founded in 1922 and over decades expanded and reorganized; by the late 1980s rising national movements and political reforms under Mikhail Gorbachev precipitated declarations of sovereignty across republics and the final dissolution at the end of 1991, when the constituent republics became independent countries ^{[7] [1]}. Contemporary sources note that the three Baltic states moved earlier to reclaim independence and that successor states have followed divergent political paths since 1991 ^{[8] [6]}.

3. Brittney Griner — who she is and what Russian authorities said happened

Brittney Griner is a U.S. WNBA star and two‑time Olympic gold medalist who during off‑seasons played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia. Russian customs officials and state media reported that vape cartridges containing hashish/cannabis oil were discovered in her luggage at Sheremetyevo International Airport; she was detained in February 2022 and later charged with smuggling and possession of narcotics ^{[2] [9]}.

4. The arrest and the criminal process — the core facts reported

Reporting from major outlets describes the sequence: customs officials searched her bags at a security checkpoint at Sheremetyevo, found vape cartridges that officials say contained cannabis oil, opened a criminal case and detained her; she was held, tried in a Russian court, pleaded guilty during the trial and was convicted and sentenced ^{[9] [3] [10]}. Sources say prosecutors accused her of smuggling less than 1 gram of cannabis oil but treated it as a criminal smuggling case with penalties up to 10 years; defense and supporters said the drugs were packed in haste and she had no intent to smuggle ^{[3] [2]}.

5. Legal irregularities, diplomatic context, and competing narratives

Griner’s legal team raised issues about translation and access to rights during detention, and U.S. officials called her detainment wrongful; conversely, Russian authorities pursued criminal charges and later denied appeals, handing down a multi‑year sentence that drew U.S. condemnation as “sham justice” before a prisoner exchange in December 2022 ^{[10] [11] [4]}. Media accounts note divergent frames: Russian prosecutors emphasizing law enforcement, and U.S. government and rights advocates stressing due process problems and geopolitical context ^{[10] [12]}.

6. Outcome and why this matters beyond the individual case

Griner was convicted and sentenced in 2022 and was later returned to U.S. custody in a high‑profile prisoner swap with Russia in December 2022 ^{[4] [12]}. Her case underscores how foreign criminal prosecutions of high‑profile Americans can become diplomatic leverage in tense bilateral relations and how inconsistent cross‑border drug laws create acute risk for travelers, even elite athletes ^{[4] [3]}.

Limitations and sources: This account uses only the supplied reporting. Available sources do not mention granular forensic test reports, chain‑of‑custody details about the seized cartridges, or internal Russian prosecutorial files; where those specifics are absent, I do not assert them. All factual assertions above are cited to the provided sources ^{[1] [5] [6] [8] [2] [9] [3] [10] [4] [12]}.