Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to bringing hashish oil into Russia on Thursday, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.
The move is not expected to end her trial in Khimki, Russia, anytime soon. Even with a guilty plea in Russian criminal courts, the judge will continue to read the full case file into the record and it could still go on for weeks or months.
"I'd like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn't want to break the law," Griner said according to Reuters, speaking English which was then translated into Russian for the court.