Brittney Griner pleads guilty to Russian drugs charge

US basketball player Brittney Griner has pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court but has denied deliberately breaking the law.

The Olympic gold medallist was detained in February at an airport near Moscow when cannabis oil vape cartridges were allegedly found in her luggage.

"I was in a rush packing and the cartridges accidentally ended up in my bag," she told the court in Khimki.

Her trial began last week on charges that could mean 10 years in jail.

Griner's wife, Cherelle, earlier called on President Joe Biden to do "whatever is necessary" to secure her release.

Russian government officials have warned the US not to "make noise in public about the case".

"The hype and working on the public, with all the love for this genre among modern politicians, currently only disturbs" the court process, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

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