He was a man without a country; until this week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin granted Russian citizenship to Edward Snowden, the man who exposed details of the secret surveillance operations by the National Security Agency. If you don’t remember details of what he did, he essentially told the world the secret details of the international and domestic operations of the NSA, where he had been working. Not exactly the thing that puts you in the running for employee of the month at the spy headquarters.
It’s been a wild decade for Snowden. He fled the U.S., and Russia gave him asylum while authorities in the United States have been trying to get him back into this country to face espionage charges.
Snowden was one of 72 foreigners whom Putin gave citizenship this week. On Monday, Snowden updated the tweet he sent in 2020, where he asked for privacy and shared his desire to keep his family intact.
“After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our SONS.
“After two years of waiting and nearly ten years of exile, a little stability will make a difference for my family. I pray for privacy for them – and for us all.”
Yes, the headline of this story was something many people were thinking about. Putin has announced a mobilization in Russia, where at least 300,000 citizens were immediately sent to military training and then the front lines in Ukraine.
Like Snowden, Putin is also a former spy and has said on record that he does not believe Snowden is a traitor. Many people in the United States would beg to differ.
Add comment