Marc Fogel, an American teacher detained in Russia for over three years, has been freed in a prisoner exchange negotiated by the Trump administration. His release, officials say, is a step toward ending the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Russian authorities handed over Fogel on Tuesday to President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who personally transported him back to the U.S. on his private jet. The White House confirmed that Fogel would be back on American soil by the end of the day.
“President Trump, Steve Witkoff, and the President’s advisors negotiated an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine,” National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said in a statement.
The administration has not disclosed details of the exchange or what the U.S. offered in return, though past negotiations between the two nations have involved reciprocal prisoner releases.
A Long-Awaited Homecoming
Fogel, a history teacher at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, was arrested in August 2021 at a Russian airport for carrying cannabis, which his family maintains was medically prescribed to treat his spinal pain. In June 2022, he was sentenced to 14 years in a forced labor camp on charges of “large-scale drug smuggling.”
Despite widespread calls for his release, Fogel was excluded from previous high-profile prisoner swaps, including the August exchange that freed former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. That deal saw 16 political prisoners freed from Russian custody in exchange for eight Russians held in the U.S. and allied countries, including Vadim Krasikov, a convicted Russian assassin imprisoned in Germany.
The Biden administration officially designated Fogel as “wrongfully detained” only four months after that exchange. His lawyers thanked President Trump for securing his “long overdue” release, subtly criticizing the previous administration’s delay in taking action.
Fogel’s family, who had campaigned for years to bring him home, expressed relief. “This has been the darkest and most painful period of our lives, but today, we begin to heal,” they told the Associated Press. “For the first time in years, our family can look forward to the future with hope.”
Bigger Implications for U.S.-Russia Relations
Fogel’s release comes as President Trump engages in direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022. While details remain unclear, officials indicate that the prisoner swap signals a potential thaw in tensions between the two nations.
Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine later this week. At least a dozen other American citizens remain detained in Russia, including Russian-American ballet dancer Ksenia Khavana, who was arrested in January 2024 for treason after donating $51.80 to a Ukrainian charity.
