“President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday granting Russian citizenship to the former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden,” The Guardian reports.
Snowden, 39, fled the United States and was given asylum in Russia after leaking secret files in 2013 that revealed vast domestic and international surveillance operations carried out by the US National Security Agency, where he was a contractor.
US authorities have for years wanted Snowden returned to the US to face a criminal trial on espionage charges.
BREAKING 🚨 Edward Snowden has been granted Russian citizenship by Putin. (Reuters)
— The Real Toria Brooke (@realtoriabrooke) September 26, 2022
U.S. authorities have for years wanted Snowden returned to the United States to face a criminal trial on espionage charges.
— The Real Toria Brooke (@realtoriabrooke) September 26, 2022
President Vladimir Putin has granted Russian citizenship to former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden.
Snowden has been living in Russia since 2013 to escape prosecution in the U.S. after leaking classified documents. https://t.co/axw7CU8fVI
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 26, 2022
President Vladimir Putin signed a decree granting Russian citizenship to former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden https://t.co/No0VXccTUb pic.twitter.com/wkHE0yBGod
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 26, 2022
From the Associated Press:
Snowden is one of 75 foreign nationals listed by the decree as being granted Russian citizenship. The decree was published on an official government website.
Snowden, a former contractor with the U.S. National Security Agency, has been living in Russia since 2013 to escape prosecution in the U.S. after leaking classified documents detailing government surveillance programs.
He was granted permanent residency in 2020 and said at the time that he planned to apply for Russian citizenship, without renouncing his U.S. citizenship.
Snowden’s lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti that the former contractor’s wife Lindsay Mills, an American who has been living with him in Russia, will also be applying for a Russian passport.
The couple had a child in December 2020.
Snowden, who has kept a low profile in Russia and occasionally criticized Russian government policies on social media, said in 2019 that he was willing to return to the U.S. if he’s guaranteed a fair trial.
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