Russia has released a former US diplomat who was imprisoned for 14 years

^{Photo: Facebook / Mark Fogel}
Former American diplomat Mark Fogel, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison in Russia for drug trafficking, has been released as part of an agreement between Russia and the United States. This was stated in a White House statement issued by the US President's National Security Advisor Mike Walz.

The statement noted that the US administration "has reached an agreement on the exchange, which demonstrates the positive mood of the Russian side and indicates that it is moving in the right direction to end the war in Ukraine." It was not specified whether the US has extradited any Russians held in the country.

The negotiations on the "Almashinov" were led by US President Donald Trump and his advisers, including Steve Witkoff, who serves as Trump's special representative for the Middle East. Earlier, the media reported that a Gulfstream G650ER business jet from Washington arrived at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. The plane was said to belong to Witkoff. The Kremlin, commenting on the reports about the business jet, said that the Russian government was not planning any meetings with Trump's special representative.

According to the White House statement, Witkoff left Russian airspace with Fogel.

Mark Fogel, a former employee of the US Embassy in Moscow, was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport in August 2021 while flying from New York with his wife. During a customs inspection, cannabis and hashish oil were found in the American's suitcase.

Vogel himself told human rights activists who arrived at the detention center that he was arrested for trying to smuggle 17 grams of marijuana. The American said he was talking about medical marijuana prescribed to him by a doctor in the United States after spinal surgery.

In June 2022, the Moscow Regional Court sentenced Vogel to 14 years in prison. The court's press service reported that the US citizen had fully confessed to his guilt.

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