Basketball star Brittney Griner pleads guilty to drug smuggling charges in a Russian court but denies intending to break the law in a case that has further inflamed tensions between Moscow and Washington. "We believe that pleading guilty should be taken into account" says Blagovolina, a lawyer for Brittney Griner. The professional basketball player was detained in February in the days before Russia sent troops to Ukraine, with the United States and its allies imposing unprecedented sanctions on Moscow in response. The US chargé d’affaires in Russia Elizabeth Rood says that Griner is doing well "under the circumstances". SOUNDBITES