Vladimir Putin grants former NSA contractor Edward Snowden Russian citizenship

By Rob Picheta, Uliana Pavlova and Chris Liakos CNN

    (CNN) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted former NSA contractor Edward Snowden Russian citizenship, according to an official decree published on the Russian government portal Monday.

Snowden, who admitted to leaking information about US surveillance programs to the press, has been in Russia since 2013. He is facing espionage charges and up to 30 years in prison in the US.

In November 2020 Snowden and his wife applied for Russian citizenship. He had been already given permanent residency in Russia.

This is a developing story. More details soon...

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