American Marc Fogel, who has been held in Russia since being arrested on drug charges in 2021, has been freed, according to the White House.
American Marc Fogel, who had been detained in Russia since he was arrested on drug charges in 2021, was freed on Tuesday, according to the White House.
Fogel, 63, was serving a 14-year sentence at a Russian prison colony. Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the American teacher had been “wrongfully detained” in October 2024, the State Department confirmed to ABC News.
A White House official confirmed with ABC News that Fogel landed on United States soil at approximately 9:30 p.m. and arrived at the White House shortly after 10 p.m.
Trump greeted Fogel and welcomed him back to the United States.
“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,” White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.
Trump was asked on Tuesday afternoon if Russia gave the United States anything in return for Fogel’s release, and he responded, “Not much, no. They were very nice. We were treated very nicely by Russia, actually.”
The president also reiterated the need to end the Russia-Ukraine war, saying, “I hope that’s the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war and, millions of people can stop being killed.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Tuesday, “Marc’s release is also a reminder that other American citizens are still detained in Russia. President Trump is committed to bringing all of them home.”
Dmitry Ovsyannikov, Fogel’s lawyer, confirmed to ABC News that Fogel was freed and had left Russia early Tuesday.
Fogel was transferred from the prison colony where he was being held and arrived in Moscow last week, his lawyer said.
His defense team was not informed by the security forces about his exchange and does not know who he was exchanged for, Ovsyannikov said.
Adam Boehler, presidential envoy for hostage affairs, wouldn’t indicate what the United States gave in exchange for Fogel while speaking with CNN on Tuesday night, but he did signal that there will be an ongoing conversation between the U.S. and Russia.
“You won’t see an exchange,” he said. “I think you will see the president give consideration — if there are some nonviolent people, where maybe there’s no issues one way or the other, but you will not see a one-for-one thing happening at the same time.”
Fogel was a teacher at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, where many diplomats from the U.S. Embassy send their children.
The father of two was arrested in August 2021 when he landed at a Moscow airport. He was accused of trying to bring in 11 grams of marijuana, and eight grams of hash oil was reportedly found in his luggage.
The Pennsylvania native was sentenced to 14 years on a drug smuggling charge that his family has said was trumped up, and the U.S. had called for his humanitarian release.
The U.S. tried but was unable to include Fogel in the large prisoner swap in August 2024 that freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, a State Department spokesperson said last year.
Fogel managed to call his family shortly before leaving Russia, his lawyer said.
His mother, Malphine Fogel, told ABC News Live that her son called her unexpectedly from the Moscow airport as he was waiting for his plane to D.C., calling it a “beautiful shocker.”
“It’s unreal still. We’ve been waiting for this time for a long time,” she said. “And when the news came over, it was unbelievable. We just can’t wait to see Marc in person. And until we do, I guess it’s not going to be real.”
She said he was in good spirits and “couldn’t have been happier” to be coming home.
“We kept hoping, but it seemed to get further and further away. And we just we prayed a lot,” she said. “My entire family prayed his way out of there anyway. We just couldn’t be more thankful.”
His sister, Anne Fogel, said they plan to meet in Pittsburgh after he receives post-isolation support in San Antonio, Texas.
“He’s so ready to be home,” she said, calling her brother “resilient.”
While awaiting Fogel’s arrival at Joint Base Andrews on Tuesday evening, Rubio gave an interview with CNN in which discussed Fogel’s current health status, saying, “Obviously, he’s been in prison for three years. That’s never good for anyone. But he seems to be in good health.”
Elected officials in Pennsylvania celebrated Fogel’s release.
“After more than 3 years in Russian captivity, I join his family, our federal partners, and all of his fellow Pennsylvanians in welcoming Marc Fogel home — exactly where he belongs,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote in a post on X while thanking the White House “who made his release possible.”
Sen. John Fetterman commended Trump and Witkoff for their “efforts in finally bringing Marc home.” Sen. Dave McCormick said he has been working with the administration on this “since day one” and said he was grateful to Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio “for delivering on their commitment to free Marc.”
“As I told Marc’s Mom, Mafa, when we spoke in August, we had to do everything possible to get Marc home and it is a blessing that this day has finally come,” McCormick said.
ABC News’ Tanya Stukalova contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2025 ABC News Internet Ventures.
American Marc Fogel, who has been held in Russia since being arrested on drug charges in 2021, has been freed, according to the White House.
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