After almost a decade in the country: Edward Snowden received Russian citizenship

Putin granted the former employee of the National Security Agency, who leaked classified information, Russian citizenship, after he began living in the country in 2013 when he fled from justice in the US. His lawyer made it clear that he will not be drafted into the army for the benefit of the war in Ukraine

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09/26/2022

Monday, September 26, 2022, 9:02 p.m. Updated: 9:27 p.m.

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Snowden (Photo: Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin this evening (Monday) granted Russian citizenship to Edward Snowden, the former employee of the National Security Agency, who leaked classified information.

Snowden, 39, has been living in Russia since 2013, when he tried to escape his trial in the United States, following the leak of the secret information to the WikiLeaks website.

In 2020, Snowden said that his wife, who was pregnant, applied for Russian citizenship, so that she would not have to leave her son during the epidemic.

After some time, Snowden received a permanent residence visa, which basically paved his way for obtaining permanent citizenship.

Putin (Photo: Reuters)

The acquisition of citizenship led social media users to laugh at the move, with some wondering if Putin wanted to enlist Snowden in the war against Ukraine.

After that, Snowden's lawyer quickly clarified that he would not be drafted, because he had never served in the Russian army.

Snowden makes sure to keep a low profile, but occasionally uploads pictures of himself and his family to social networks.

In 2019 he said that he was ready to return to the United States, if he was guaranteed a fair trial.

Beyond that, Snowden, who has previously criticized the Kremlin's attitude to human rights, has so far not commented on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Before the war, he accused the media of pushing towards conflict between the countries.

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