An American teacher who was detained by Russia is heading back to American soil, the Trump administration announced Tuesday.
“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,” National Security Advisor 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,” he added.
Marc Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, was serving a 14-year prison sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for being in possession of drugs, which his family and supporters said were medically prescribed marijuana.
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Marc Fogel with his family (Ellen Keelan and Lisa Hyland)
Fogel, 63, was designated as wrongfully detained by the U.S. government. In the nine years leading up to his arrest, he was teaching at the Anglo-American School in Moscow.
In a statement, Fogel’s wife Jane and sons Ethan and Sam said they were “beyond grateful, relieved, and overwhelmed” that he had been released.
“Thanks to the unwavering leadership of President Trump, Marc will soon be back on American soil, free where he belongs,” they said. “This has been the darkest and most painful period of our lives, but today, we begin to heal. We cannot fully express our gratitude to everyone who fought for Marc—our friends, supporters, and the extraordinary legal teams of Martin De Luca, Andrew Smith and Sasha Phillips in the U.S. and EPAM Law in Russia who stood by our loved one and tirelessly fought for his release. For the first time in years, our family can look forward to the future with hope.”
Fogel’s U.S. legal team of Martin De Luca and Andrew Smith at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP called the release “long overdue.”
“After years of bureaucratic inaction including consistent refusals to designate Marc as wrongfully detained, President Trump secured Marc’s release in just a few weeks, wasting no time in taking decisive action to bring Marc home. We are profoundly grateful to President Trump and his team who worked tirelessly to secure Marc’s freedom.”
Ellen Keelan, center, and other family members rally outside the White House for the release of Marc Fogel, who has been detained in Russia since August 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
The release “marks a new chapter for our client and fosters hope for the improvement of bilateral relations between the United States and Russia,” his Russian legal team at Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev and Partners said.
Fogel’s mother, Malphine, told Fox News’ “America Reports” that “it is absolutely a good day.”
“He called me earlier today saying that he was in a Moscow airport and waiting to fly to Washington, D.C.,” she said, noting that she wasn’t aware of immediate efforts to free her son. “It was a total surprise when he called.”
“The last week or so, for some crazy reason, I had a bitter feeling about this,” she added. “I want to see him as badly as I can possibly feel, but I want him to be with his family, his wife and two boys. They’ve suffered the most.”
Fogel’s relatives also told the Associated Press they were “beyond grateful, relieved and overwhelmed” that he is coming home.
“This has been the darkest and most painful period of our lives, but today, we begin to heal,” they said. “For the first time in years, our family can look forward to the future with hope.”
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Ellen Keelan, center, and other family members rally outside the White House for the release of Marc Fogel on July 15, 2023. (AP/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Waltz said in his statement, “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.
“By tonight, Marc Fogel will be on American soil and reunited with his family and loved ones thanks to President Trump’s leadership,” he added.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., praised Fogel’s return as well as the Trump administration for working to free him from Russian detention.
“Marc Fogel’s return home is long overdue – and I know all of Pennsylvania, especially his family, will be welcoming him back with open arms. I commend President Trump and Steve Witkoff for their efforts in finally bringing Marc home.”
On X, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro welcomed Fogel’s return.
“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. Thank you to those at the @WhiteHouse who made his release possible, and to his wife Jane, mom, siblings, and kids here in Pennsylvania who never, ever gave up.”
Former CIA station chief and Fox News contributor Dan Hoffman called the release Tuesday a “major foreign policy success.
“Any time we are able to extract one of our citizens from behind enemy lines in Russia, good on the administration for doing this. Steven Witkoff has got a lot on his plate right now dealing with the Middle East, and it’s incredibly impressive to me that on top of that he was able to secure the release of Marc Fogel,” Hoffman told Fox News’ “America Reports.”
Fogel had been left out of a massive prisoner swap in August 2024 that freed multiple Americans, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and corporate security executive Paul Whelan.
Fogel taught at AAS Moscow (formerly known as the Anglo-American School of Moscow). (Ellen Keelan and Lisa Hyland)
Fogel never complained about the conditions of his detention, aside from actually being detained, his mother said.
Fogel was a 1984 graduate of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
“After graduating from IUP, Marc devoted his life – 36 years – to education,” the school’s president, Michael Driscoll, wrote last year. “He taught history courses at schools attended by children of U.S. diplomats in Colombia, Venezuela, Oman, and Malaysia.”
Last summer, Malphine Fogel met with Trump before he took the stage at the rally in Butler, Pa., that ended early because of an assassination attempt.
“He was just as cordial as could be,” she said. “He told me three different times, ‘If I get in, I’ll get him out.’ I really think he’s been really instrumental, him and [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio,” she said. “I really feel they were instrumental in getting this to happen, and I just want to thank them. I would like to thank him (Trump) profusely. He promised me he would get him out, and he kept his promise.”
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“He said, ‘We’ll get him out,'” she added.
On Tuesday, she told “America Reports” that “I think the first thing he’ll do is kiss the ground” when he arrives in the United States.
Fox News’ Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
