In a decree published on Monday, President Vladimir Putin granted Russian nationality to Edward Snowden, a former employee of the US National Security Agency (NSA), a refugee in Russia since 2013 after leaving the United States.
Snowden’s name appears along with dozens of others in this decree, published on the Russian government website.
Edward Snowden, 39, is claimed by the United States for having leaked tens of thousands of documents to the press that prove the breadth of electronic surveillance practiced by Washington.
His leaks caused strong tensions between the United States and its allies and the decision of the Russian authorities to grant him a residence permit caused great anger in Washington.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told the RIA Novosti agency that it was Snowden himself who had applied for Russian citizenship.
The Russian lawyer of the former intelligence consultant, Anatoli Kucherena, specified that Snowden will not be affected by the mobilization order for the offensive in Ukraine, decreed by President Vladimir Putin last week for certain categories of the population.
“He has not served in the Russian army and therefore, according to our current legislation, he does not fall into this category of citizens who are being called up,” he told the RIA Novosti agency.
According to Peskov, Snowden’s partner, Lindsay Mills, also applied for Russian citizenship and their daughter already has it, having been born in Russia.
Edward Snowden, deprived of his US passport at the request of the Washington authorities, arrived in Moscow in 2013 from Hong Kong, with the idea of finding refuge in Latin America. In the end he was blocked in Russia, where he was given asylum.
