Anti-surveillance whistleblower – and accused spy – Edward Snowden was granted Russian citizenship on Monday, according to a decree signed by Vladimir Putin.
The former NSA contractor was among 75 foreign nationals who received Russian citizenship from Putin’s pen.
Snowden has been living in Russia since 2013, when he fled after leaking classified documents that revealed mass surveillance of US citizens by his own intelligence system.
The Russian passport was granted at Snowden’s request, According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov,
Snowden said in 2020 that he would Demand for dual Russian and US citizenship With his wife, American Lindsay Mills. The son of the couple, born in Russia at the end of that year, is a Russian citizen.
Russian law does not require potential passport holders to renounce their former citizenship, and Snowden has no clue.
Snowden, who is facing espionage charges in the US, has previously said he would return to the country if he thought he would get a fair trial.
He did not immediately comment on his newly-formed nationality.
post with wires