Who is Marc Fogel? The US school teacher freed by Russia

Russia released American schoolteacher Marc Fogel on Tuesday following an unannounced visit to Moscow by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and he was headed for a White House welcome, U.S. President Donald Trump said.

The release of 63-year-old Fogel, who had been detained in Russia since August 2021 and was serving a 14-year sentence, came as Trump seeks to improve relations with Moscow as part of an effort to secure an end to the war in Ukraine.

Trump told reporters that Fogel would visit the White House on his return to the U.S. late on Tuesday, and White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said he would also be reunited Tuesday night with his family, who celebrated the news.

All About Marc Fogel

Marc Fogel is an American history teacher from Pennsylvania who was detained in Russia in August 2021 for possessing medically prescribed marijuana.

Born in Butler, Pennsylvania, Fogel dedicated his career to education, teaching at international schools across multiple countries. Since 2012, he had been working at the Anglo-American School of Moscow.

Fogel was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport with 17 grams of marijuana, which he stated was for medical use. In June 2022, amid rising US-Russia tensions following the Ukraine invasion, he was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian penal colony on drug smuggling charges.

Following pressure from his family and supporters, the Biden administration declared Fogel “wrongfully detained” in December 2024, increasing diplomatic efforts for his release.

On February 11, 2025, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff secured Fogel’s release in a negotiated exchange with Russia. He left Russian airspace with Witkoff and was expected to reunite with his family the same day.

While the terms of the exchange remain undisclosed, his release marks a significant moment in US-Russia diplomatic relations.