Snowden received a Russian passport

Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Agency (NSA) officer Edward Snowden swore in as a Russian citizen and received a Russian passport.

According to statements by his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena to the RIA Novosti agency, Snowden’s wife is also “in the process of obtaining a Russian passport.” Vladimir Putin’s decree granting Snowden Russian citizenship was published on September 26 on the Kremlin’s website. Previously, he received a permanent residence permit in Russia.

Snowden, if returned to the US to face charges of espionage and embezzlement of government property, faces years in prison for revealing information about the US electronic surveillance program in 2013. In particular, with the help of these data, it was proved that the US intelligence services wiretapped telephone conversations of 35 high-ranking officials from various states. According to a secret Pentagon report, Snowden stole nearly 2 million classified files.

In the same year, Snowden left the United States. First, he fled to Hong Kong, and then, in his own words, in order to avoid arrest, he ended up at a Moscow airport, where he asked for political asylum in Russia. Astute was the comment made by the State Department spokesman as soon as he was informed that Snowden had accepted Russian citizenship. He wondered if Snowden would now be drafted into the army to fight in Ukraine. However, Snowden’s lawyer said that his client could not be called up because he did not serve in the Russian army.

Snowden, advocated by a number of public figures in the United States, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine was subjected to in the United States, criticism even from those who previously expressed understanding of the motives for his actions. He was criticized for the fact that he, calling himself a defender of freedom of speech and living in Russia, did not clearly condemn Russian aggression. Snowden has stated that he is against the war in Ukraine and for peace, but at the same time he did not directly speak about who is responsible for the war. A few days before it began, he compared Kyiv with Grozny (destroyed during the assault by the Russian army), Sarajevo, which was besieged by the Bosnian Serbs, and Falluja, which was stormed by the US military.

When former US Ambassador to Moscow Michael McFaul urged him to denounce Russian TV presenter Anton Krasovsky’s remarks about children killed in Ukraine, Snowden said he was against the killing of children, and there was no point in wasting time studying this issue.

yeah sure. I denounce drowning children in the river or burning them in huts. Glad you took time out of everyone’s day to establish that. What a victory we’ve won for truth and justice! What scintillating courage we’ve displayed!

This is the problem with Twitter⁠—and politics. https://t.co/zyqb7GUIBN

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) October 23, 2022

“I condemn the drowning of children in the river or their burning in huts. I’m glad you took the time to check it out. What a victory we have won for truth and justice! What brilliant courage you have shown!” Snowden ironically tweeted in response to McFall.

I’ve already expressed my opposition to the fighting in Ukraine, and pray it ends soon. The difference between us is that when *I* realized that sharing my thoughts on the matter did more harm than good, I found the humility to stop. Best regards.https://t.co/p9PNBYAbTO

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) October 23, 2022

I have already expressed my disagreement with the fighting in Ukraine and I pray that it ends soon. The difference between us is that when *I* realized that sharing my thoughts on the subject was more harm than good, I found the humility to stop. Best wishes.

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