Marc Fogel, an American teacher classified as wrongfully detained by Russia, has been released in what the White House called a diplomatic breakthrough that could facilitate negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Steve Witkoff, a special envoy under former President Donald Trump, accompanied Fogel—a history teacher from Pennsylvania—out of Russia, and they arrived in the U.S. at Joint Base Andrews on Tuesday night, according to the White House.
Fogel was expected to visit the White House and reunite with his family later in the day.
Originally arrested in August 2021, Fogel had been serving a 14-year prison sentence after Russian authorities found him in possession of medically prescribed marijuana, according to his family and supporters. His case drew comparisons to that of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was detained in February 2022 at a Moscow airport after authorities discovered vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner was later released in a high-profile prisoner exchange for Viktor Bout, a notorious arms dealer dubbed the Merchant of Death