American history teacher Marc Fogel has been freed from a Russian prison and returned to the United States in a surprise move the Trump administration has described as a “show of good faith” from Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
Draped in an American flag and standing next to President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, Fogel said he felt like “the luckiest man on Earth.” He had been jailed in Russia since 2021, when he was charged with smuggling marijuana, which was prescribed in the United States for back pain but is banned in Russia.
Here’s what to know about Marc Fogel:
1. He is an American history teacher who taught in Moscow
Fogel, a Pittsburg-area native, had been working as a history teacher at the Anglo-American School of Moscow when he was arrested in August 2021 while returning to Russia with his wife, Jane. He had spent 27 years teaching overseas, working in Colombia, Venezuela, Oman and Malaysia before moving to Moscow.
While living there, Fogel avoided becoming embroiled in political tensions as relations between Russia and the United States deteriorated, and would defend Russian people to his family. Fogel’s sister Elise Hyland told The Washington Post that if she ever asked what he was doing living there, he would reply, “You have to understand their culture to understand what’s happening now.”
During his sentence, he taught English to fellow prisoners.
2. He took medical marijuana for pain
Fogel was suffering from pain in his back, shoulder and knee, with a replacement knee surgery giving him a pronounced limp, when he tried medical marijuana in 2021 at a doctor’s suggestion. On Aug. 14 that year, he was flying back into Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport when he was stopped at security.
Fogel had packed 14 vape cartridges of medical marijuana into his suitcase and was charged with drug possession and intent to sell marijuana to his students. At his trial, Russian prosecutors portrayed him as a “large scale” drug dealer, and he was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
3. His family despaired as other American prisoners were returned
Fogel’s case echoed that of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was arrested while attempting to enter the country with cannabis oil she said she accidentally packed into two vape cartridges. Griner was freed in December 2022 after nearly 10 months as part of a prisoner swap in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
While happy to see Griner returned home, Fogel’s wife, Jane, said in an interview with The Post that she feared her husband would be “left behind” and she already felt like a “widow.” Fogel wrote a letter home at the time, saying the prisoner-exchange reports “hurt.” “Teachers are at least as important as bballers,” he wrote.
In August, when another high-profile swap brought home journalist Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan, among others, the family said in a statement: “Today, Marc was left behind again.”
Months later, Fogel’s status was changed to being “wrongfully detained” by President Joe Biden. The shift was significant in that it typically means the case comes under the supervision of the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, a State Department office focused on hostage releases.
Upon his release, Fogel’s family released a statement saying they were “beyond grateful, relieved and overwhelmed” he was being returned. “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.”
4. Trump framed the release as a step toward ending the war in Ukraine
Trump said the release could play a role in ending the war in Ukraine. “I think there’s goodwill, in terms of the war,” Trump said. “I think this … could be a big, important part in getting the war over.”
National security adviser Michael Waltz in a statement described the deal as an “exchange” negotiated by Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff “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.” Administration officials did not elaborate on the other side of the deal, but the Kremlin said Wednesday that a Russian citizen has been released in exchange for Fogel and would be transferred to Russia in the coming days.
Commenting on Trump’s remarks linking the swap to ending the war, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told The Post, “Any agreement on the release of U.S. citizens is preceded by very, very meticulous work and negotiations. … Such agreements are unlikely to become a turning point, but at the same time, they represent the bit-by-bit steps towards building up mutual trust, which is now at its lowest point.”
5. Several other Americans remain jailed in Russia
Other Americans detained in Russia include Ksenia Karelina, a dual U.S.-Russian national detained in January 2024 on treason charges after donating to a charity aiding Ukraine. In August, she was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Stephen Hubbard, a Michigan native who was convicted of fighting alongside Ukraine’s military as a mercenary, was sentenced to almost seven years in prison in 2024. Musician Michael Travis Leake was convicted on drug charges and sentenced to 13 years in prison in July. In June, Army Staff Sgt. Gordon Black was sentenced to nearly four years in a penal colony after he was found guilty of theft and making threats against his girlfriend.
Others detained include Robert Romanov Woodland, David Barnes, Robert Gilman, Eugene Spector and Joseph Tater.