Edward Snowden Granted Full Russian Citizenship By Vladimir Putin

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Edward Snowden was granted full Russian citizenship by Russian President Vladimir Putin two years after he was granted permanent residency in the country. His name was on a list of 72 foreign nationals granted citizenship by Putin, according to Reuters.

Snowden, a former contractor with the National Security Agency, fled to Russia in 2013 after he leaked a trove of classified data detailing the extensive spying operations being conducted by the agency.

He was granted asylum in Russia in 2014 and faces espionage charges in the United States. While a U.S. appeals court found the program that Snowden exposed was illegal, he is still facing the threat of 30 years in jail if he returns to the United States to stand trial on the charges levied against him.

The court also determined that top government officials lied and misled the public about the program, though none of them were charged.

Neither Snowden nor Russian officials have not commented on the decision to grant Snowden full citizenship.


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