Ukraine

Brittney Griner is fighting back in her drug case in Russia -- formally filing an appeal of her conviction in the foreign country, days after she was sentenced to 9 years behind bars there.

Griner's attorney confirmed the filing to CNN on Monday. It's not immediately known what the grounds of the appeal are, or when it will be heard in court.

The move, though, was expected -- after Griner was convicted and sentenced on Aug. 4. The WNBA superstar admitted to having hashish oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport, but she told a courtroom she packed it inadvertently and had no intentions at all of breaking the law.

Regardless of the appeal process, the U.S. -- which has called Griner wrongfully detained -- is continuing attempts to strike a prisoner swap deal with Russia in order to bring the 31-year-old home.

"I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends and teammates," Biden said following her conviction earlier this month.

"My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible."

Steven Seagal's pro-Russia publicity stunt isn't sitting well with orgs dedicated to helping Ukraine ... not in the slightest.

A rep for NOVA Ukraine, a nonprofit that spreads awareness of the war while providing aid to Ukrainians, tells TMZ ... the fact Seagal showed up at a Russian prison site -- where upwards of 50 innocent lives were taken at Putin's behest -- is despicable, especially since it served as nothing more than a photo-op.

They call it a "reprehensible example of how when your career is already tarnished some of us scrape to the lowest levels of Earth to claw back any relevancy, even being paraded around by dictators who oppose the U.S."

The rep adds that those who are flirting with Russia during this dire time -- like Seagal -- deserve to have sponsorships and opportunities stripped from them ... much like how businesses are exiting en masse there in general. SS hasn't had a mainstream Hollywood career in ages, so that wish is already coming true for NOVA.

Michael Capponi -- President of the Global Empowerment Mission, another org that’s working to help Ukraine -- tells TMZ ... Seagal, per usual, is acting as a pawn for Putin and that the guy was clearly given special access to the jail in question.

He continues by saying they've been on the ground there for 5 months, and adds this about the narrative Seagal and Russia are trying to spin ... "The notion or suggestion that Ukraine is doing this to themselves is not only patently false, it's dangerous misinformation and comes solely from Russian propaganda."

Capponi concludes ... "This is nothing but someone drinking too much Kool-aid. It has 0 merit. Ukraine is doing everything it can to defend its sovereignty. Ukraine is not attacking its own people."

Actor Steven Seagal, a vocal supporter of Vladimir Putin, showed up at a Russian-controlled prison camp ... the site of an explosion on July 29 that slaughtered at least 50 Ukrainian prisoners.

Seagal seems to be surveying the wreckage ... eyeballing some of the shrapnel that killed the Ukrainians. There were hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners in the camp at the time of the blast.

Putin bestowed Russian citizenship on Seagal back in 2016 ... this after Seagal spoke out in favor of Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Seagal is been vocal in his support of Putin, calling him "one of the greatest world leaders, if not the greatest world leader alive today."

Ukrainian military officials have accused Russia of intentionally moving prisoners to the facility, knowing it would be the site of an attack.

As for Seagal, he was banned back in 2017 from entering Ukraine territory.

Roger Waters got into a heated debate with a CNN host about who's really to blame for the war in Ukraine -- saying it's actually the U.S. and NATO that are fueling the ongoing conflict.

The Pink Floyd rocker sat down with Michael Smerconish on his weekend show, and they were getting into it over Ukraine and China as well ... with RW taking the position that not all is as it seems when it comes to who's at fault for the fighting dragging on this long.

Watch ... he says we, the States, are partly at fault for keeping it going by not pressuring Zelensky to strike a deal with Putin for a cease-fire -- but instead, continuing to fund/supply their military efforts (Ukraine's, that is).

Smerconish pushes back on that, pointing out that Roger here seems to be pointing the finger at the country that was invaded -- but there, too, Roger doubles down ... and says this thing has been going on for far longer than just a year, arguing NATO has stoked the flames.

When he's confronted with the notion that America has an obligation to step in and be "liberators" ... Roger kinda loses it, saying they have no such place in the world -- even contesting that they weren't going to get involved in WWII until Pearl Harbor was attacked.

One last thing ... they also talk Taiwan, and Roger once again takes a counter viewpoint that the nation does, in fact, belong to the People's Republic, despite what the U.S. might think.

Jennifer Lopez has bounced from honeymoon to freedom fighter, headlining a UNICEF concert to help in the Ukrainian relief effort.

J Lo took the stage at a 14th-century monastery in Capri, and she looked pretty incredible in a zebra-print getup with feathers and glitz. And this is a shocker ... she showed off her abs, which is always a gift!

Jen wasn't done ... the next outfit was a nude thong bodysuit ... again, pretty incredible.

JLo was the headliner, following Diplo, Sofia Carson and DJ Cruz.

There were tons of celebs on hand ... Leo DiCaprio, Naomi Campbell, Jamie Foxx, Jared Leto, Vanessa Hudgens and Maye Musk. Jennifer's bro-in-law, Casey Affleck, was also there with his gf Caylee Cowan.

Some positive news on the Brittney Griner front from Colin Allred ... the U.S. congressman says officials have made "a very good offer" to Russia for the WNBA star -- and he's now as confident as ever that she'll be able to return home.

The representative couldn't get into specifics of the trade that America has sent to the Russians ... but he did tell TMZ Sports he believes the proposed swap is exactly what the foreign country is looking for in a deal for Griner.

"The ball is entirely in the Russians' court," Allred said Friday out on Capitol Hill ... before adding, "I think prospects, in my opinion, look better now than they have really at any point since she was taken."

But, Allred said he's under the impression Russia would like to impose a sentence on the 31-year-old Phoenix Mercury center before it moves forward with accepting any trade offers.

The ex-Baylor football player, though, said he's optimistic it will eventually go down at some point hopefully soon.

"I think it's a matter of time," Allred tells us, "but I think it's going to get done."

Griner has been detained in Russia since mid-February after authorities said she had hashish oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport. She's since pled guilty to the charges, and is facing a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars.

Jennifer Lopez is putting the final touches on her performance — going through dress rehearsals for her charity concert over in Italy — and it looks like she's preparing to bring the house down.

J Lo is slated to roc the mic Saturday at a UNICEF benefit for Ukraine ... and by the looks of rehearsals, she'll be wearing an animal print ensemble, unless of course, she’s got multiple costume changes.

It also appears J Lo will have some flashy backup singers and disco balls, all the indications of a real party on stage.

J Lo also practiced some of her dance moves before busting out an animal print coat.

As we reported ... J Lo is sticking around in Europe for the benefit concert after vacationing with new husband Ben Affleck in France.

Jennifer Lopez is in no rush to return from Europe after vacationing with Ben Affleck ... she's still overseas for work and some play while Ben's on daddy duty in Los Angeles.

J Lo spent her Friday living the island life in Capri, Italy -- grabbing lunch with her team and riding around the city in a cart with her security detail -- all while showing love to her international fans.

J Lo dressed in all white and drew a crowd as her hired muscle whisked her away in the back of a cart, she waved at fans like a beauty queen in a parade.

As for why she's in Capri, Jennifer is the headliner at a show to benefit the people of Ukraine Saturday, with a star-studded guest list ... including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Jared Leto, Vanessa Hudgens and Naomi Campbell.

Ben was spotted in L.A. Thursday picking up his son, Samuel, from Jennifer Garner's place.

As we reported, J Lo and Ben jetted off to Paris after getting married in Las Vegas, and their time in France included PDA in front of their kids, romantic dinners, a good cry and an infamous nap.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is getting support in the wake of the backlash over his Vogue cover shoot ... and it's from orgs helping his people on the frontlines.

A rep for NOVA Ukraine, a nonprofit that spreads awareness of the war while providing aid to Ukrainians, tells TMZ the article was "brilliantly written" ... wondering if the people criticizing the story even read it.

As we reported, Zelensky and his wife, Olena, were dragged online after appearing on the latest cover of Vogue. Some saw it as the President turning this crisis into the Zelensky show ... while looking for pats on the back along the way.

The rep for NOVA Ukraine says the photo shoot brings much-needed attention to the war ... as media coverage has dwindled as the conflict drags on. The way NOVA sees it, the focus should be on Ukraine's leaders who have "led a country which is being blown to pieces day by day, and continue to lead with their head high."

Michael Capponi, President of the Global Empowerment Mission, tells us the photo shoot does a lot of good .. Zelensky is using his PR skills to call upon the world for help, unlike previous Ukrainian presidents.

Michael's org sends first responders to disaster zones in Ukraine ... first responders who are critical in the rebuilding effort. He says Americans don't fully understand the impact of this war, likening it to a daily Hurricane Irma.

Brittney Griner says she was aware the U.S. government warned Americans traveling to Russia was dangerous ... but the WNBA star told a court in Moscow she decided to get on the airplane because she wanted to help her basketball team.

Griner's drug trial continued in Russia on Wednesday, and the 31-year-old hooper testified to the reason she returned to Moscow in February despite the travel advisory.

"It's the most important part of the season, after the break. It's playoffs. The whole season I worked, my team worked hard to get to a good position," Griner said, continuing, "There was nothing that was going to change that for me. I didn't want to let my team down.  I did know about the 'do not fly' advisory, but like I said, there was nothing that was going to change my mind on coming back and finishing my duty for my team."

Brittney's alluding to a "Do Not Travel" advisory issued by the U.S. State Department on January 23 ... where they warned of "the potential for harassment against U.S. citizens."

Of course, despite the fact Griner played several seasons in Russia (she's a 3x Russian League champ), she's an American citizen.

BG also addressed the reason for using cannabis ... years of sports injuries.

"Because of my injuries that I've had over the long career of basketball. From my spine, no cartilage in my knee. I was in a wheelchair for four months. I broke my ankle and I also sprained my knee really bad. So I was wheelchair-bound," Brittney told the court.

"The benefits from medical cannabis definitely outweigh the painkillers that they prescribe. The painkillers have really bad side effects. Medical cannabis, there are honestly no side effects that harm you."

Griner admits the cannabis was never supposed to wind up in her luggage ... and she still isn't entirely certain how it happened.

"I still don't understand to this day how they ended up in my bag. If I had to speculate, if I had to guess on how they ended up in my bags, I was in a rush packing. I was recovering from COVID, the stress of packing, making sure I had my COVID tests. Jet lag. And I was in a rush, throwing my stuff into my bag."

Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska, have graced the cover of Vogue ... something many feel has crossed the line into vanity territory amid the ongoing war.

The presidential couple is featured in a digital edition of the mag that's all about Olena and her role in the conflict with Russia -- it's titled, "Portrait of Bravery: Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska" with photography by Annie Leibovitz. It's a full-blown profile of her ... as well as her husband, the Ukrainian Prez.

Of course, there are also a fair amount of photos of each of them throughout -- including single shots of Olena, and ones where they're together ... holding hands and/or posing throughout what seems to be the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv.

A lot of hard issues are addressed in the story, no doubt, and ya gotta figure the intention is to bring more awareness to the cause. All the same, the fact the Zelenskys signed up for this in the first place is getting backlash -- with folks saying this comes across as tone-deaf.

Also ... the fact that a famed celebrity photog shot them for Vogue here isn't lost on the masses either. AL has captured the most famous faces on camera, bar none.

From a basic optics stance, there's an argument this isn't a good look ... especially to Ukrainian soldiers in the field who are putting their lives on the line. Others are criticizing it for political reasons it seems ... in any case, it's getting a collective side-eye on Twitter.

Granted, this feeling of resentment for some of Zelensky's choices through this time has been bubbling for a while now. Not everyone was on board with him beaming into the Grammys earlier this year -- ditto for the circuit of international speeches he's been making lately.

Essentially, some see a lot of that as him turning this crisis into the Zelensky show -- while looking for press and pats on the back along the way -- that's the cynical view, anyway.

Brittney Griner spoke with a media member on Tuesday for the first time since she was arrested back in February in Russia ... saying she had "no complaints" about her detention and adding that she wanted to wish her wife "good luck on the bar exam."

Griner -- who was back in court Tuesday for yet another hearing in her drug case -- spoke with an ABC News producer from behind bars inside the Moscow courtroom.

The outlet recorded the conversation, and in the audio, you can hear Griner calmly send the message to Cherelle Griner (who's been studying to become a lawyer) -- while adding she's "just waiting patiently" for a resolution in her drug case.

Brittney held up a photo of Cherelle minutes before the chat with the reporter. She also wore a sweatshirt that had "Black Lives Are Loved" written on it.

During the hearing, according to Reuters, Griner's legal team argued the WNBA star had used medical cannabis to help deal with her injuries -- and was not using the drug recreationally.

As we reported, Griner has pled guilty to charges that she brought hashish oil in her luggage to a Moscow airport back in February -- though she said she had no intention of breaking Russian law.

One of Ukraine's Olympic heroes is putting on his cape again by sacrificing his gymnastic silver medal in order to help his country fend off the Russian invaders.

Ruslan Mezentsev put his medal -- earned during the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney -- on the auction block, and TMZ Sports has learned it's now sold for $14,438.

Bidding just ended on July 21, and as we first reported ... Ruslan had pledged to donate all the money to Ukraine, to help fund his homeland's war efforts against Russia. We're told the auction house even donated the buyer's premium.

The now 41-year-old Olympian was a member of his country's men's team when they competed in the all-around competition back in 2000. Ruslan participated in the floor exercise, pommel horse, and still rings.

Ultimately, he helped his team take home the silver medal by scoring 28.725 and bringing the team's total 230.306. The Ukrainians finished just 1.613 points behind China, which won the gold medal.

Now, that silver medal is in the hands of an anonymous bidder ... and Ruslan, who is originally from a town called Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine, is giving all the coins back to his country as the war continues.

Former Los Angeles Lakers F Slava Medvedenko is selling his two NBA championship rings from '01 and '02 ... and it's all to raise money for his home country, Ukraine, as the war continues to rage on in the country.

The rings, on the block at SCP Auctions through August 5, are expected to sell for at least $100K total, and 100% of the money from the sale will go to Slava's Fly High Foundation.

The foundation aims to support Ukrainian children by repairing sports in schools in areas that have been hit the hardest by the war, According to the Associated Press.

Medvedenko says he plans to use the money from the sale of the rings, which he earned playing alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, to repair or rebuild fitness centers destroyed by missiles, bombs, and artillery fired by Vladimir Putin's military.

“We want to restore gyms because the Russian army bombed more than a hundred schools,” Medvedenko told The AP during a phone interview.

“Our country, they need a lot of money to fix the schools. Sports gyms are going to be last in the line to fix it. In Ukraine, we have winter, and kids need to play inside.”

Slava -- who spent 7 seasons in the NBA -- says he felt compelled to help after witnessing firsthand Russian rockets flying through the night sky as the former Laker watched from a Kyiv rooftop.

“In this moment, I just decided, ‘Why do I need these rings if they’re just sitting in my safe?’” Medvedenko said. “I just recognize I can die."

"After that, I just say I have to sell them to show people leadership, to help my Ukrainian people to live better, to help kids."

Despite having no military background, the 43-year-old, 6'10" ex-hooper -- equipped with his binoculars and AK-47 -- has served in Ukraine's territorial defense during the war.

As Medvedenko continues to help Ukraine during the war with Russia, he's already plotting how he can use sports to restore some normalcy and return prosperity to his war-torn country.

A mural of Brittney Griner -- and 17 other Americans detained in countries like Russia -- was erected Wednesday in Washington D.C. ... all to bring awareness to Americans locked up abroad.

Of course, Griner's case has received a tremendous amount of attention, but that's not necessarily the case with all the captive U.S. citizens ... and the hope is the artwork will get the word out.

Isaac Campbell, an artist from Iowa who's in charge of the project, spent about 8 hours putting the 15 ft. tall mural together in Georgetown before opening it to the public, according to the Washingtonian.

The photos were provided by the Bring Our Families Home Campaign.

Campbell cut and pasted photos onto the wall ... using flour, water, and sugar to form a non-toxic, biodegradable glue, with help from detainees' family members and citizens passing by. It's expected to eventually fade ... but it could take weeks, months, or longer, depending on the weather.

Aside from the artwork, Campbell hopes the message behind the mural resonates with people more than the artistry, so detainees like Griner can return to the United States.

“We really need to put pressure on all people with any tools, whether that’s wheat-pasting, or whether that’s using your own personal platforms on social media to help apply pressure," Campbell said.

"Or if you’re in any stage of government, and you can provide support and begin to help bring these people home."

Other than Griner -- a star hooper for the Phoenix Mercury -- other Americans like Paul Whelan, U.S. citizen and former Marine who's been detained in Russia since 2018 on drug and espionage charges, are featured.

Griner recently pled guilty to a drug charge ... but her trial near Moscow is still ongoing (the Russian justice system is different than in America). She faces up to 10 years in prison.

Griner's next hearing is scheduled for July 26.

Curt Schilling clearly has no problem seeing Brittney Griner's detention in Russia drag on ... the ex-MLB star said Sunday night he believes the WNBA player should "pay the penalty for breaking another country's laws."

Schilling wrote the controversial statement on his Twitter page -- in a response to LeBron James' plea to bring Griner home.

"I know this may seem like a stretch," the 55-year-old said. "But something like 300 million people understand 'OBEY THE F***ING LAW', why is that such a challenge?"

"And why on earth should she NOT pay the penalty for breaking another country's laws?"

Griner has been locked in a cell in Russia since mid-February, after authorities said they found hashish oil in her luggage at an airport in Moscow. At a hearing in the case earlier this month, Griner pled guilty to the charges ... telling a judge at the time, "I didn't want to break the law."

Schilling obviously believes her plea and subsequent statements are justification for her to remain behind bars as long as Russia sees fit.

"She, as far as I know from every quote of hers," Schilling said, "has NEVER denied committing the crime, not once."

The United States government, meanwhile, has classified Griner as "wrongfully detained" and is in the process of negotiating with Russia to bring her home.