The Kremlin said early Wednesday that American release of Mark Vogel came along with the Trump administration, which grants freedom to Russian citizens held in US prisons.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the former prisoner will be named after they arrive in Russian soil in the coming days, the Associated Press reported. This move differs from the other prisoner exchanges between the US and Russia, where individuals are pre-named.
Vogel returned to the US Tuesday after being detained behind a Russian bar for more than three years. He expressed his gratitude to President Trump during his emotional homecoming at the White House.
The Trump administration has been quiet about how the release was secured, and the president did not say whether he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Fogel was arrested in 2021 and sentenced to 14 years in prison after working in Moscow as a teacher. He was known to carry a small amount of medicinal cannabis, but he said he was prescribed for back pain. The Russian indicted him in 2022 with “large drug smuggling,” but the Biden administration said he was in unfair detention.
Trump has agreed to release Pennsylvania resident Vogel and thanked Russian authorities for calling the terms of the deal “very fair.”
The exchange was the first transaction negotiated between the current regime and Russia. The president argued that it could be a step towards ending the Russian-Ukraine war. Reuters reported.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) praised Trump for coordinating the release, calling it a “long postponement.”
“I know Pennsylvania, especially his whole family, welcomes him with open arms,” Fetterman said. I wrote in Tuesday's statement. “I praise President Trump and Steve Witkoff for their efforts to finally bring Mark home.”
Despite his release on Tuesday, there are several other US citizens remaining in Russian detention.
