Marc Fogel, an American who had been held in Russia Since 2021 landed back on Tuesday in the US.
Fogel, a history teacher who worked at the Anglo-American school in Moscow, returned to the US after his release with the Trump government after his release from Russia.
He served a 14-year prison sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport possession of drugsOf which his family said he was prescribed medical marijuana.
Fogel was seen in a photo that was placed by the White House on social media smiling and lifting his fist while he was wrapped in an American flag while he walked out of the plane on American ground.
Marc Fogel, a history teacher in Pennsylvania who worked at the Anglo-American school in Moscow, returned to American soil on Tuesday evening, after Russia, where he had been held since 2021. (The White House via X)
“Marc Fogel is back !!! Promises made, promises !!!” The White House wrote on X.
After his arrival in the US, Fogel, from Pennsylvania, met president Donald Trump In the White House and called him a hero for securing his release.
“I want you to know that I am not a hero at all. And President Trump is a hero,” Fogel said after meeting Trump.
“These men who came from the diplomatic service are heroes,” Fogel continued. “The senators and representatives who have adopted legislation in honor of me – they brought me home – they are heroes.”
American Marc Fogel released from Russian custody
US President Donald Trump greeted former prisoner Marc Fogel when he arrives on 11 February 2025 in the White House in Washington, DC. (Photo by Shen/AFP Te Ting via Getty images)
Fogel added: “I am awe for what they all did.”
He said he feels “as the happiest man on earth at the moment.”
Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Waltz, had said that the US and Russia “negotiated an exchange” to guarantee the release of Fogel, although he did not reveal what the US gave up. Some earlier negotiations include releases from Russians by the US or his allies in exchange for a detained American.
When asked by reporters on Tuesday whether the US had given up something in exchange for Fogel, Trump replied “not much” without offering additional details.
US President Donald Trump welcomes Marc Fogel back to the United States who were released in the White House in the White House in Washington, DC on 11 February 2025 (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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The family of Fogel thanked Trump and others who worked to secure his release.
“We are more than grateful, relieved and overwhelmed that after more than three years of detention, our father, husband and son, Marc Fogel, finally come home,” the family said in a statement.
“Thanks to the non -repellent leadership of President Trump, Marc will soon be back on American soil, free where he belongs. This has been the darkest and most painful period of our lives, but today we are starting to heal,” added the statement .
The Associated Press has contributed to this report.
