Carmamin continued on Wednesday that Russia and the United States have completed the exchange of prisoners who participated in the American teacher Mark Vogel, who was released from the Russian reservation.

However, Moscow refused to get to know the Russian citizen liberated in the deal until he reached Russia.

The swap is a rare moment for diplomatic coordination between Washington and Moscow amid constant tensions of war in Ukraine. While the White House described Vogel’s release as a positive step, Russia has maintained a secret with regard to the identity of the individual in return.

Vogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in Russia after his arrest in 2021 to carry medical marijuana. The United States government considered it “incorrectly detained”, and its release coincides with the exchange of a high -level prisoner between Washington and Moscow in recent years.

US President Donald Trump was seen greeting former detainee Mark Fujel upon his arrival at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2025. (AFP Ting Shin) (AFP Ting Shin …


Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian citizen participating in the exchange “will return to Russia in the coming days”, but he refused to provide more details.

“Recently, work has been intensified through relevant agencies, there were contacts,” Peskov told reporters. “These contacts led to the release of Vogel, as well as a citizen of the Russian Federation, who is currently being held in the United States.”

Peskov was asked if the mutual Russian patriotism is Alexander Phoenic, a Russian accused of crimes related to the encrypted currency. He answered that Moscow would only reveal the identity of the individual after their return. Phoenic, who was arrested in Greece in 2017, and later delivered to the United States, admitted that he was guilty last year to conspire for money laundering.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov refused to clarify the details of the agreement, with a focus on the fact that diplomatic negotiations are “silence.” Lavrov criticized the United States to publicly announce the launch of Vogel before Russia was ready to reveal the details.

“Our American colleagues have chosen to announce the results, we have a different approach,” Lavrov said. “For effective diplomacy, we prefer to monitor secrecy agreements.”

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This article contains reports by Associated Press