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Putin grants Russian citizenship to Edward Snowden

Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted Russian citizenship to former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden, according to an executive decree published on the Russian government’s official website. Snowden fled the U.S. in 2013 after leaking classified information on NSA surveillance programs.

Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia when he first moved there in 2013. He received a permanent residence permit in the fall of 2020 and immediately applied for Russian citizenship after that.

Snowden's wife, Lindsay Mills, who joined him in Moscow in 2014 and applied for Russian citizenship when he did, was not one of the new citizens listed in the decree.

Snowden’s lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told Interfax that “since Edward didn’t serve in the Russian army and has no military service experience, he’s not liable for conscription.”

This is a developing story.
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