Pa. teacher Marc Fogel released from Russian prison after more than 3 years

Megan Guza, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Feb 11, 2025

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PITTSBURGH — Marc Fogel, an Oakmont teacher detained in Russia since 2021, has been released, according to the White House.

Officials said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that Fogel was "leaving Russian airspace" with Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East.

"By tonight, Marc Fogel will be on American soil and reunited with his family and loved ones thanks to President Trump's leadership," national security adviser Mike Waltz said.

Fogel was flown out of Russia on Witkoff"s plane, the New York Times reported.

Waltz said Fogel's release by Russia "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."

Waltz referred to Fogel's release as an exchange, though he not indicate whether the U.S. had released anyone in return for Fogel, nor did he offer any details of the negotiations.

The 63-year-old teacher was arrested in August 2021 at the Sheremetyevo Airport outside of Moscow as he returned to Russia for his 10th and final year as a history teacher at the Anglo-American School of Moscow. He was sentenced in June 2022 to 14 years of hard labor after bringing a small amount of marijuana into the country

Fogel's mother, Malphine Fogel, told Fox News she had no idea his release was in the works.

"He called me earlier today saying that he was in a Moscow airport and waiting to fly to Washington, D.C., and that was the last I heard," Fogel said. "I just had a better feeling the last couple of days, and I don't know why. It was a total surprise when he called."

He was "just beside himself," she said.

"I want him to be with his family — his wife, his two boys. They're the ones who have suffered the most," she told Fox. "As long as I know he's on American soil, I'm happy."

Ms. Fogel said she believes he will fly first to Washington, D.C. and then on to Pittsburgh.

"It's an incredible relief to know he's on his way home," she said.

Ms. Fogel has led a years-long campaign to have her son declared wrongfully detained and included in U.S.-Russia prisoner swaps. Pennsylvania lawmakers have rallied around her, urging the Biden Administration and, now, Trump's White House, to take whatever action's necessary to secure Mr. Fogel's release.

Late last month, a group of Pennsylvania lawmakers called on U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to bring him home.

The letter, sent to Rubio, asked him to "do everything in your power to bring Marc home immediately."

Ms. Fogel sued the State Department last year, accusing then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken of treating her son's case differently than those of other Americans detained in Russia, namely WNBA star Brittney Griner. She dropped her lawsuit in October when she was informed her son had been officially designated "wrongfully detained" by the U.S. government.

Griner, like Fogel, had been detained in Russia on drug-related charges but was freed in December 2022 during a prisoner swap.

In July, Ms. Fogel met with Trump before his rally in July in Butler, where he was nearly assassinated, preventing further conversations.

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