MOSCOW — President
Vladimir Putin on Monday
granted Russian citizenship to US whistleblower Edward Snowden, who exposed
massive surveillance by the US National Security Agency and was granted refuge
by Moscow.
اضافة اعلان
A presidential decree published Monday included
Edward Joseph Snowden born June 21, 1983 on a list of newly-minted Russian
citizens, at a time when relations between Washington and Moscow are at
historic lows over the conflict in Ukraine.
The fugitive whistleblower Snowden said in November
2020 he had applied for Russian citizenship but that he would aim to keep his
US nationality.
The former American intelligence contractor, who
revealed in 2013 that the US government was spying on its citizens, has been
living in exile in Russia since the revelations.
Moscow several years ago relaxed its strict
citizenship laws to allow individuals to hold Russian passports without
rejecting their original nationalities.
Snowden’s lawyer Anatoly Kucherena told Russian
state news agency RIA Novosti that his spouse Lindsay Mills would also now
apply for Russian citizenship and that their daughter already had a Russian
passport having been born in the country.
Putin last week announced a mobilization of Russian
men to contribute to the army’s fight in
Ukraine and Kucherena said that
Snowden would not be called up to serve given he had no prior experience in the
Russian army.
Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov meanwhile told news
agencies that Snowden had received Russian citizenship as a result of his own
request.
Read more Region and World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
