China News Agency, Moscow, September 26 (Reporter Tian Bing) Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order on the 26th to grant Edward Snowden, a former US defense contractor employee, Russian citizenship.
The relevant presidential decree was published on the Russian Legal Information Network on the same day.
Relevant documents released show that the presidential decree granted Russian citizenship to a number of individuals, including "Edward Joseph Snowden, born June 21, 1983, in the United States."
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov told the media that day that Putin does not plan to meet Snowden, who has obtained Russian nationality.
In June 2013, Snowden exposed the US National Security Agency's secret intelligence surveillance program through the media, including a surveillance program code-named "Project Prism", which was mainly aimed at overseas targets, causing an uproar in the international community.
Snowden is wanted by the U.S. government for espionage, theft and unauthorized disclosure of defense and intelligence information.
Snowden arrived in Russia on June 23, 2013, and was granted one-year temporary political refugee status by Russia.
On August 7, 2014, Snowden was granted a three-year temporary residency in Russia.
In January 2017, the relevant license was extended to 2020.
In October 2020, Snowden's permanent residency in Russia was approved.
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