NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden granted extended stay in Russia

  • 7 years ago
Russia has extended NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden’s residency visa by two years, the foreign ministry says.

Maria Zakharova posted the announcement on Facebook

and mocked former Acting CIA Director Michael Morell for suggesting Snowden’s extradition to the US would be “the perfect inauguration gift” for President-elect Donald Trump.

Snowden spent five weeks at an airport in Moscow after arriving in June, 2013, before being allowed to remain in Russia temporarily. He was eventually granted a three-year residency permit in August, 2014.

The former NSA employee first came to public attention for leaking classified documents revealing mass surveillance operations in the US and UK.