A teacher from the USA who was imprisoned in Russia, accused of drug offenses, has been released in a prisoner exchange between the two countries.
The White House announced this on Tuesday, and the news came at the same moment as the US special envoy Steve Witkoff had left Russian airspace after a visit. On the plane was Marc Fogel, who was arrested in 2021 and was serving a 14-year prison sentence in Russia. Fogel had brought marijuana with him to the country, which he had been prescribed in the USA.
It was unclear who or whom the USA had released in the agreement. On previous occasions, Russian citizens or individuals with Russian connections who had been convicted in the USA had been released in exchange.
