The Trump administration on Tuesday announced it has negotiated the release of Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher who has been detained in Russia on drug charges since his arrest in 2021.
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said in a statement Tuesday that special envoy Steve Witkoff was leaving Russian airspace with Fogel after negotiating an exchange with Russia, though he did not provide any details on whether the U.S. or an ally had released someone in return.
Waltz said the move “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.”
“Since President Trump’s swearing-in, he has successfully secured the release of Americans detained around the world, and President Trump will continue until all Americans being held are returned to the United States,” Waltz said.
“By tonight, Marc Fogel will be on American soil and reunited with his family and loved ones thanks to President Trump’s leadership,” he continued.
Fogel was arrested in August 2021 after he allegedly attempted to enter Russia with 17 grams of medical marijuana, a violation of Russian law. He was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian penal colony.
The State Department formally classified Fogel as “wrongfully detained” in October 2024, despite repeated efforts from bipartisan lawmakers to upgrade his designation earlier.
Fogel was left out of the prisoner swap that took place in Turkey last year that involved the U.S., Turkey, Germany, Russia, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus. It was the largest exchange of detainees since the Cold War, with journalist Evan Gershkovich among those released.
Fogel’s sister, Anne, said in an interview at the time that his omission felt like they had been “stabbed in the back.”
The State Department said in a statement in December 2024 that it “tried” to include Fogel in the August deal.
Fogel’s wife, Jane, and sons, Ethan and Sam, expressed gratitude Tuesday in a statement reported by The New York Times.
“We are beyond grateful, relieved, and overwhelmed that after more than three years of detention, our father, husband, and son, Marc Fogel, is finally coming home,” the statement read.
