Former U.S. Security Agency (NSA) analyst Edward Snowden has received a Russian passport, his lawyer has confirmed, after Russian President Vladimir Putin granted him citizenship in September.
«Edward received a passport as a citizen of Russia yesterday and was sworn in in line with the law,» Anatoli Kucherena said in remarks granted to Russia’s Interfax news agency. «He is grateful to Russia for receiving citizenship and for being a full-fledged citizen of Russia,» he added.
In this regard, he has outlined that «the most important thing is that, according to the Russian Constitution, he cannot be extradited to a foreign country», while revealing that Snowden’s wife has also started procedures to obtain Russian citizenship. «I think the process will not take long,» he concluded.
In September, Putin granted citizenship to Snowden, who is wanted by the US Justice for leaking to Wikileaks abundant information about the National Security Agency (NSA). Snowden filed in November 2020 together with his wife, also American Lindsay Mills, an application for Russian citizenship.
Snowden is wanted by the U.S. Justice after he leaked in 2013 numerous secret documents revealing different espionage techniques carried out by the National Security Agency, including illegal wiretapping of international political leaders.
Once he fled the United States, his first destination was Hong Kong, although he later ended up in Russia. In 2014, he received a first residence permit which, years later, would be extended indefinitely. That same year, one of his lawyers stated that Snowden would be willing to return to U.S. soil «under certain conditions» and acknowledged that «negotiations» were underway to that end.
