President Vladimir Putin on Monday granted Russian citizenship to former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, 9 years after he uncovered the dimensions of mystery surveillance operations with the aid of using the National Security Agency (NSA).
Snowden, 39, fled the USA and turned into given asylum in Russia after leaking mystery documents in 2013 that discovered huge home and global surveillance operations done with the aid of using the NSA, in which he worked.
US government have for years desired him again to the USA to stand a crook trial on espionage charges.
There turned into no on the spot response from Snowden, whose call seemed with none Kremlin touch upon a listing of seventy two foreign-born people on whom Putin turned into conferring citizenship.
In 2020, Russia granted Snowden everlasting residency rights, paving the manner for him to achieve Russian citizenship.
That yr a US appeals courtroom docket observed this system Snowden had uncovered turned into illegal and that americaA intelligence leaders who publicly defended it had been now no longer telling the truth.
Putin, a former Russian secret agent chief, stated in 2017 that Snowden, who continues a low profile at the same time as dwelling in Russia, turned into incorrect to leak US secrets and techniques however turned into now no longer a traitor.