Marc Fogel, American teacher held in Russia for 3.5 years, is released
February 11, 2025
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An American school teacher held by Russia for three and a half years will be released and allowed to come home, the White House said Tuesday.
Marc Fogel had been sentenced to 14 years in prison by Russia and was considered “wrongfully detained” by the United States.
Ellen Keelan, center, and other family members rally outside the White House in 2021 for the release of Marc Fogel.Stephanie Scarbrough / AP file
“By tonight, Marc Fogel will be on American soil and reunited with his family and loved ones thanks to President Trump’s leadership,” national security adviser Mike Waltz said Tuesday in a statement.
Fogel was already on a plane with U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff that was leaving Russian airspace, Waltz said.
The release could advance President Donald Trump’s efforts in reaching a ceasefire in the three-year Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine, officials said.
“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,” Waltz said in a statement.
It wasn’t immediately clear on Tuesday what the Russians gained by releasing Fogel.
Tuesday’s announcement brings an end to years of frustration voiced by Fogel’s family, which has been calling for the White House to secure his release.
Fogel had remained in Russian custody as U.S. authorities won freedom for other high profile American detainees, such as Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Marine veteran Paul Whelan and WNBA star Brittney Griner.
Fogel had been teaching in Russia before he was picked up by authorities, prosecuted and sentenced to 14 years for having a small amount of medical cannabis.
He’d been prescribed medical cannabis in the United States, but the substance was illegal in Russia.
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