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.
“Today, President Donald J. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are able to announce that Mr. Witkoff is leaving Russian airspace with Marc Fogel, an American who was detained by Russia,” White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said in a statement. “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.”
In this undated file photo released by his sister, Marc Fogel is shown.
Anne Fogel
Fogel, 63, an American teacher who was arrested in Russia and was serving a 14-year sentence there, was determined to be “wrongfully detained” by then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken in October 2024, the State Department confirmed to ABC News in late December.
“By tonight, Marc Fogel will be on American soil and reunited with his family and loved ones thanks to President Trump’s leadership,” Waltz added in the statement.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday afternoon that Fogel will be at the White House around 10 p.m. Tuesday.
When asked if the U.S. gave anything in return, Trump responded, “Not much, no. They were very nice. We were treated very nicely by Russia, actually.”
He 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.”
In this July 15, 2023, file photo, Lisa Hyland, left, and other family members rally outside the White House in Washington, D.C., for the release of Marc Fogel, who has been detained in Russia since August 2021.
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP, FILE
Earlier, Dmitry Ovsyannikov, Fogel’s lawyer, confirmed to ABC News that Fogel was freed and has left Russia. He managed to call the family shortly before leaving Russia, his lawyer said.
Fogel was transferred from the prison colony where he was being held and transported to 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.
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.
In this July 15, 2023, file photo, a drawn portrait of Marc Fogel, who has been detained in Russia since August 2021, hangs on rails outside of the White House during a demonstration organized by his family, in Washington, D.C.
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP, FILE
What Fogel told mother in first phone call
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’s 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.”
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.
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