The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it had negotiated the release of Mark Vogel, a teacher at an American school that has been detained on drug charges in Russia since his 2021 arrest.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said in a statement Tuesday that special envoy Steve Witkov had left Russia's airspace in Fogel after exchanging exchanges with Russia, but he was also a US or allied person. did not provide details on whether or not they released someone in return.
Waltz said the move “serves as a sincere show from the Russians and as a sign that we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine.”
“Since President Trump took the oath, he has successfully secured the release of detained Americans around the world, and President Trump will continue until all Americans detained are returned to the United States,” Waltz said.
“By tonight, Mark Vogel will appear in the soil of America and will reunite with his family and loved ones thanks to President Trump's leadership,” he continued.
Vogel was arrested in August 2021 when he allegedly tried to enter Russia with 17 grams of medical marijuana, a violation of Russian law. He was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison.
The State Department previously classified Fogel as “illegally detained” in October 2024 despite repeated efforts from bipartisan lawmakers to upgrade his designation.
Vogel was removed from the prisoner swap in Turkey last year, with the involvement of the US, Turkey, Germany, Russia, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus. It was the biggest detainee exchange since the Cold War, and journalist Evan Gershkovic was released.
Vogel's younger sister Anne said in an interview at the time that he felt his omission was “stabbed in the back.”
The State Department said in a December 2024 statement it attempted to include Fogel in its August deal.
Vogel's wife, Jane and son, Ethan and Sam, expressed their thanks on Tuesday. In a statement Reported by The New York Times.
“We are grateful, relieved and overwhelmed that our father, husband and son Mark Vogel will finally be back home after more than three years of detention,” the statement read.
