Russia on Monday granted citizenship to former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who fled prosecution after revealing highly classified US surveillance programs to capture communications and data from around the world.
A decree signed Monday by Russian President Vladimir Putin listed Snowden as one of 75 foreign nationals granted Russian citizenship. After fleeing in 2013, Snowden was granted permanent Russian residency in 2020 and said at the time that he planned to apply for Russian citizenship without giving up his US citizenship.
While Snowden, 39, is viewed by his supporters as a whistleblower who wanted to protect American civil liberties, intelligence officials have accused him of putting American personnel at risk and harming national security. He currently faces charges in the United States that could result in decades in prison.
“Our position has not changed,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said Monday. “Snowden should return to the United States, where he should face justice like any other American citizen.
Snowden, who has kept a low profile in Russia and sometimes criticized Russian government policies on social media, said in 2019 that he was willing to return to the United States if he was guaranteed a fair trial.
Snowden has become a well-known speaker on privacy and intelligence, appearing remotely at many events from Russia. But he has been heavily criticized by members of the intelligence community. Current and former officials from both US political parties say he jeopardized global security by publicly exposing important programs.
A damage assessment of his disclosures is still classified. James Clapper, who served as the US director of national intelligence at the time of the Snowden revelations, said the citizenship grant came at a “pretty curious time.” “It begs the question, again, about what he shared with the Russians,” Clapper said in an email.
