US Whistleblower Edward Snowden Gets The Russian Passport After Swearing An Oath To Russia
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Edward Snowden
On Friday (Nov 02), a former US intelligence whistleblower acquired a Russian passport after pledging an oath of allegiance to Russia. “Yes, he received [a passport], he took the oath,” Snowden’s lawyer Anatoly Kucherena told the news agency TASS.
Russian President Vladimir Putin granted Snowden Russian citizenship in September of this year. The whistleblower has been wanted by authorities in the United States for years to testify in espionage investigations. He fled the nation after leaking top-secret reports detailing the National Security Agency’s monitoring methods (NSA).
“This is still a criminal investigation,” White House official John Kirby told reporters about the news on Friday. According to media sources, Snowden’s family has been living in Russia since that time. They live in an unspecified location. Lindsay Mills, his wife, is also thought to be asking for Russian citizenship.
Snowden’s supporters see him as a modern-day rebel for exposing US espionage and alleged privacy abuses. Opponents, on the other hand, see him as a traitor who endangers lives by leaking US intelligence.
Standing next to Edward Snowden’s seat on flight to Cuba. He ain’t here. pic.twitter.com/NVRH3Pzved
— max seddon (@maxseddon) June 24, 2013
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