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Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree on the 26th to grant Russian citizenship to more than 70 foreigners, including former CIA employee and former US defense contractor Edward Snowden. Snowden said obtaining Russian citizenship would stabilize his family's life. The US State Department said that Snowden's acquisition of Russian citizenship will not affect Washington's position, and "he should still return to the United States to stand trial."

　　"Positive impact on family"

　　According to a report by RIA Novosti on the 27th, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov said that Snowden applied for Russian naturalization in 2020, and now the Russian government has approved his application for naturalization. Plus, Putin has no plans to meet Snowden. Snowden's lawyer Kucherena said, "Thank you to Russia for not giving up on Snowden during this difficult time. I'm glad that he became a Russian citizen. His wife will also submit an application for naturalization after he has obtained Russian citizenship. Snowden The child was born in Russia and therefore also has Russian nationality.”

　　On the 27th, Snowden retweeted his 2020 tweet about applying for Russian citizenship and wrote: "After being separated from my parents for many years, my wife and I don't want to be separated from our son again. After two years of waiting and nearly After 10 years in exile, stability has had a positive impact on my family. My prayers are that their privacy and everyone else's privacy is not violated."

　　Snowden, 39, was born in North Carolina. In 2013, Snowden provided classified materials to the Washington Post and the Guardian about the US intelligence agency's massive secret surveillance program, Project Prism. The documents he disclosed show that the U.S. intelligence agencies not only monitor the communications content of the American people, but also monitor the dignitaries and citizens of many European countries such as France and Germany. Snowden's "revelations" aroused widespread concern in the international community. The U.S. government then issued a warrant for Snowden on charges of espionage, theft and unauthorized disclosure of defense and intelligence information. Snowden went to Russia to seek political asylum. In October 2020, Russia granted Snowden permanent residency. Snowden said at the time that he planned to apply for Russian citizenship without giving up his U.S. citizenship.

　　Luckier than Assange

　　Russian military expert Mendkovich believed that giving Snowden Russian citizenship was a completely logical decision, according to the Russian Federal News Agency. Before that, Snowden had been granted political asylum in Russia, where he lived and started a family, Mendkovic said. Mendkovic emphasized that the Snowden incident has nothing to do with the US-Russian espionage war, because as we all know, Snowden is not an agent of any country. He only made the decision to disclose information because of differences with the CIA.

　　After learning that Snowden had obtained Russian nationality, Du Ping, a spokesman for the Russian Liberal Democratic Party, said that if Snowden wanted to become a member of the party, his application would definitely be considered, the Russian newspaper reported. But Snowden has not indicated any plans to cooperate with the party. Some Russian netizens said that giving Snowden Russian citizenship was a "slap in the face" to the United States. Some netizens also said, "Looking at the current situation of Snowden, the fate of Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is regrettable. We hope that Assange will also come to Russia and receive asylum." He also became a "thorn in the side of the United States because of leaks." "Assange was trapped in the Ecuadorian embassy in the UK for a decade. Relatively speaking, Snowden's "runaway" life is much better. He not only married and had children in Russia, but also published a personal biography and lectured in different regions. According to a report by the US "Political News Network" in August 2020, Snowden made nearly $1.2 million from speeches in the previous seven years.

　　"Washington's position has not changed"

　　The National Security Agency, the Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on Snowden's newly acquired Russian citizenship. State Department spokesman Price said at a news conference that, to his knowledge, Snowden's U.S. citizenship had not changed. "I know he denounced his U.S. citizenship in some way, but I don't know if he has renounced his U.S. citizenship." Price said Washington's position had not changed, and Snowden should, like other U.S. citizens, return to the United States to stand trial. "Perhaps the only thing that has changed is that he is now likely to be drafted into the Russian army because of his Russian citizenship," Price said sarcastically.

US State Department Spokesperson Price

　　In this regard, Snowden's lawyer Kucherena said that Snowden did not belong to the range of personnel recruited during the partial mobilization of the Russian side, because he had never served in the Russian army, and only personnel with military experience would be recruited into the army. . According to Fox News, US strategic intelligence expert Kovler believes that Snowden's acquisition of Russian citizenship reflects his closer cooperation with the Russian government, and Snowden may provide assistance to Russian intelligence services. Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, tweeted, "Whatever you want to think about Snowden and Russia, but he has done a great job for the public by exposing what has since been slapped by multiple courts. A mass surveillance program deemed unconstitutional."