Snowden Takes Oath of Loyalty to Russia and Receives Citizenship

Former CIA and NSA employee Edward Snowden has taken an oath of loyalty to Russia and has received a Russian passport. This was reported to TASS by his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena.

“Yes, he has received a passport and has taken an oath,” the lawyer said. He further specified that Snowden's wife has also applied for Russian citizenship, according to gazeta.ru.

In 2013, while working for the U.S. National Security Agency, Snowden leaked classified information to The Guardian and The Washington Post regarding the surveillance practices of American intelligence agencies on citizens worldwide. After that, he fled to Hong Kong and later, after finding himself in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo Airport, was granted political asylum in Russia. He was subsequently given a temporary residence permit and later an indefinite one. According to Snowden, he applied for asylum in 27 countries, but all except Russia denied him, fearing U.S. sanctions.