After the prisoner trades for Russia, the freed American hostage Mark Vogel lands on us
Mark Vogel, Americans Detained in Russia He returned to the US on Tuesday since 2021.
Fogel, a history teacher who worked at an Anglo-American school in Moscow, returned to the United States after being released from Russia after consultations with the Trump administration.
He was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being arrested at a Russian airport in August 2021. Possession of drugssaid his family was medically prescribed marijuana.
Vogel was seen in a photo posted by the White House on social media with a smile and a fist raised.
Mark Vogel, a Pennsylvanian history teacher who worked at an Anglo-American school in Moscow, returned to US soil Tuesday night after Russia, which had been detained since 2021. (White House via x)
“Mark Vogel is back!!! We had a promise, we continued our promise!!!” The White House wrote to X.
After he arrived in the US, Vogel from Pennsylvania met with the President Donald Trump He called him the hero to secure a release in the White House.
“I want you to know that I’m not a hero of this, and President Trump is a hero,” Fogel said after meeting Trump.
“These men from diplomatic services are heroes,” continued Fogel. “The senators and representatives who passed the law in my honor — they brought me home — they are heroes.”
American Mark Vogel released from Russian custody
US President Donald Trump will greet former detainee Mark Vogel upon his arrival at the White House in Washington, D.C. on February 11, 2025. (Photo by Ting Shen/AFP via Getty Images)
Fogel added:
He said he feels “just like the lucky man on the planet right now.”
Trump’s national security adviser Michael Waltz said the US and Russia “negotiated an exchange” to ensure Vogel’s release, but he refused to reveal what the US is giving up. Ta. Some previous negotiations include the release of Russians by the United States or its allies in exchange for detained Americans.
When asked by a reporter on Tuesday if the US had given up anything in return for Vogel, Trump replied “too much” without providing additional details.
US President Donald Trump welcomes Mark Vogel, who was mentioned after his release from Russian custody at the White House on February 11, 2025. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Vogel’s family thanked Trump and others for working to secure his release.
“We are grateful and relieved, and are overwhelmed by the end of our father, husband and son, Mark Vogel, finally returning,” the family said in a statement.
“Thanks to President Trump’s unwavering leadership, Mark will soon be back to the American soil he belongs to. This was the darkest and most painful time of our lives, but today we are I’m beginning to heal,” the statement added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.