Hundreds of prisoners — including Americans and Russian political activists — are hoping for a diplomatic agreement that might secure their release.
For the 16 people released from Russian captivity on Thursday in a landmark prisoner swap, the exchange brought a moment of momentous relief. But many others were left behind.
Hundreds of prisoners in Russia — including Americans and prominent Russian political activists, journalists and artists — are still waiting, hoping that another diplomatic agreement or turn of events might secure their release.
One of them is Marc Fogel, an American history teacher who worked for almost a decade at the Anglo-American school in Moscow. In 2021, when trying to enter Russia, Mr. Fogel was arrested and accused of smuggling drugs after a small amount of medical marijuana was discovered in his luggage. His relatives have said it was to treat severe pain.
In June 2022, Mr. Fogel, a native of Western Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for drug smuggling. In Russia, lesser sentences have often been given to convicted murderers.
On Thursday, upon hearing the news of the prisoner swap, Mr. Fogel’s spouse, Jane, and the couple’s two sons, Ethan and Sam, objected to Russian nationals being released before some Americans. Of the 16 prisoners released by Russia, three were American, six were from other Western countries and seven were Russian.
In an emailed statement, Ms. Fogel and her sons said that it was “inconceivable” to them that “Russian dissidents would be prioritized over U.S. citizens in a prisoner exchange.”
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