Russia grants citizenship to U.S. whistle blower Snowden

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Russian President Vladimir Putin granted Russian citizenship to former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden on 26 September 2022, nine years after he exposed the scale of secret surveillance operations by the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States.

The 39 years old Snowden fled the United States and was given asylum in Russia after leaking secret files in 2013 that revealed vast domestic and international surveillance operations carried out by the NSA, where he worked.

U.S. authorities have for years wanted him returned to the United States to face a criminal trial on espionage charges.

Russia granted Snowden permanent residency rights in 2020, paving the way for him to obtain Russian citizenship.

National Security Agency is the United States intelligence agency under the Department of Defence. It is responsible for electronic surveillance, cryptographic and communications intelligence and security.

A whistle blower is a person of a company or an organisation who exposes the illegal activities committed by the company or the organization to the authorities or to the public.