According to a decree published Monday, September 26, thePresident Vladimir Putin has granted Russian nationality to whistleblower and former employee of the American NSA Edward Snowden, a refugee in Russia since 2013 after leaving the United States. Edward Snowden’s name appears alongside dozens of others in this decree published on the Russian government’s website.
This announcement comes nearly two years after the ex-intelligence consultant obtained a permanent residence permit in Russia.
The 39-year-old man is wanted by the United States for having transmitted to the press tens of thousands of documents from the American National Security Agency (NSA) proving the extent of the electronic surveillance exercised by Washington. These revelations had then aroused very strong tensions between the United States and their allies and the decision of the Russian authorities to grant him a residence permit had angered Washington.
A request from Edward Snowden
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Ria Novosti news agency that Russian citizenship was granted to Edward Snowden at his own request. The whistleblower’s Russian lawyer, Anatoli Koutcherena, for his part specified that Edward Snowden would not be affected by the mobilization order for the offensive in Ukraine, decreed by Vladimir Putin last week for certain categories of Russians.
Edward Snowden, deprived of his American passport at the request of Washington, found himself in Moscow in May 2013 after arriving there from Hong Kong and intending to find refuge in Latin America. He eventually found himself stranded in Russia, where he was granted asylum.