Former American intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who fled prosecution after leaking highly sensitive information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013, was granted citizenship by Russia on Monday.
Snowden was one of 75 foreigners identified in a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that stated they had been awarded Russian citizenship.
Snowden became a Russian citizen as Putin declared that 300,000 Russians who had completed their conscription would be called up to mount an offensive on Ukraine’s southeastern side.
Despite his brief military service, Snowden will not be called up because he never served the Russian military.
Snowden was given permanent residency in Russia in 2020 after leaving the U.S and said at the time he intended to apply for Russian citizenship without abandoning his American citizenship.
Following Putin's decision to begin what the Kremlin has labeled a "special military operation" in Ukraine, relations between Washington D.C. and Moscow have already reached its lowest point in decades.
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Supporters of Snowden, 39, saw him as a brave whistleblower who wished to defend American civil liberties, but U.S. intelligence officials accuse him of endangering American personnel and undermining national security.
He is currently facing charges in the U.S. that may land him in prison for decades but stated in 2019 that he would be open to returning if he could be assured of a fair trial.
Snowden, who was an NSA employee and subcontractor, was accused of stealing government property and disclosing classified information about American national security and intelligence. Each of the three offenses carries a potential 10-year sentence, according to the AP.
In a separate lawsuit, the Justice Department claimed that Snowden had broken his nondisclosure agreements with intelligence agencies and should be prevented from profiting from his biography, "Permanent Record."
In a press release issued by the department, it stated that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia found in favor of the U.S. on the issue of liability and held that Snowden breached his contractual and fiduciary obligations to the CIA and NSA by publishing the book, as well as and giving prepared remarks "within the scope of his pre-publication review obligations, but reserved judgment on the scope of these violations or the remedies due to the government."
On Sept. 29, 2020, "the court entered judgment in the government’s favor in an amount exceeding $5.2 million and imposed a constructive trust for the benefit of the U.S. over those sums and any further monies, royalties, or other financial advantages derived by Snowden from 'Permanent Record' and 56 specific speeches."
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