On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin granted citizenship to former NSA security contractor Edward Snowden, who has lived in the country since 2013 in an attempt to avoid prosecution in the U.S. for leaking a treasure trove of classified documents.
He was granted permanent Russian residency in 2020 and said at the time that he planned to apply for Russian citizenship without renouncing his U.S. citizenship.
Snowden's lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti that the former contractor's wife Lindsay Mills, an American who has been living with him in Russia, will also be applying for a Russian passport. The couple had a child in December 2020.
Snowden, who has kept a low profile in Russia and occasionally criticized Russian government policies on social media, said in 2019 that he was willing to return to the U.S. if he's guaranteed a fair trial.
Some reactions from social media:
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
