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Edward Snowden Reportedly Granted Russian Citizenship by Putin

Snowden, who leaked secrets from the NSA, has been living under asylum in Russia since 2013.

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Headshot of Imad Khan
Imad Khan Former Senior Reporter
Imad was a senior reporter covering Google and internet culture. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with The New York Times, The Washington Post, ESPN, Tom's Guide and Wired, among others.
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Imad Khan
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Edward Snowden speaking virtually on a big screen at a conference

Edward Snowden speaks virtually during the CoinDesk 2022 Consensus Festival in Austin, Texas, on June 11.

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Edward Snowden, a former security contractor who leaked documents about secret surveillance by the US National Security Agency and then fled to Russia, was granted Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin on Monday, according to a report from Reuters.

After living under asylum since 2013, Snowden was granted citizenship along with 71 other foreigners in a decree signed by Putin, the report said.

Snowden, 39, posted on Twitter on Monday, indicating that there's now more stability for his family, in response to a tweet of his from two years ago that said he and his wife would be applying for dual US-Russian citizenship.

Anatoly Kucherena, Snowden's attorney, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment but did tell Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti Monday that Snowden's wife, Lindsay Mills, is also in the process of applying for Russian citizenship, according to The Washington Post.

Kucherena also told RIA Novosti that Snowden won't be called into military mobilization against Ukraine as he never served in the Russian army.

US authorities have been seeking to have Snowden extradited back to his home country but have met resistance from Russia. In 2017, then-CIA director Michael Morell reportedly suggested Putin "gift" Snowden to then President-elect Donald Trump, a move that Moscow didn't make. Russia doesn't have an extradition treaty with the US.

The move by Putin comes as Russia continues its war against Ukraine, a country being buoyed by billions of dollars in American weapons being sent to Kyiv. America's strong support of Ukraine has been a problem for Russia, which has met disastrous results on the battlefield, with up to 80,000 Russian troops either killed or injured, according to the Pentagon. Last week, Putin declared a draft, calling up 300,000 additional Russian men with military experience, leading to protest and turmoil within the country.

The Department of Justice didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.