(Transcript of conversation)
Robert Siegel, Host: June marked three years since Edward Snowden fled to Russia. The former NSA official, who has given journalists many classified documents relating to the activities of the agency, usually tries to keep a low profile, but he recently spoke out against the new Russian law on surveillance. Mary Louise Kelly will let us know latest news about his not too easy life in Russia.
Mary Louise Kelly: We are in the arrivals hall of the Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow - this is a typical large international Airport. There are many travelers around me, a little sleepy and with large suitcases. It was this airport that Edward Snowden left three years ago to start new life. Therefore, now I have to practically follow in his footsteps right on a Moscow summer day and see what this day will bring us.
And this day will bring us many rumors. People here love to gossip about Snowden. You will definitely be told that he was seen with a shopping cart in a supermarket or going up the escalator in the subway. But if you directly ask who personally saw Snowden, these stories begin to crumble. One of the few people who personally saw him and can confirm this is Tanya Lokshina.
Tanya Lokshina: I managed to take a photo of Snowden with my Blackberry. I was in the front row.
Kelly: Front row during a rather surreal press conference.
Lokshina: Myself Context
Snowden: Russia is doing it 'wrong'
The Hill 07.09.2015 Snowden helps Russia rattle nuclear weapons
InoSMI 18.06.2015 Edward Snowden condemns Russia
InoSMI 08.09.2015 oh the big oddity of this strange press conference was that there was no press at it.
Kelly: This is true. Snowden's press conference took place inside the Moscow airport. There were no journalists on it. Tanya Lokshina was invited because she manages Russian branch organization Human Rights Watch. The photo that she managed to take quickly went viral all over the world. This happened in July 2013 and was one of Snowden's last confirmed public appearances in Russia. Main question: What has Snowden been up to since then?
Mark Galeotti: The moment Snowden set foot on Russian soil, he was bought and paid for.
Kelly: We were joined by Mark Galeotti, a professor at New York University and an expert on Russian intelligence services. In his opinion, Snowden almost certainly passed on classified information about the activities of the NSA to the relevant Russian departments. I asked Franz Klintsevich about this. He serves as Vice Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee. Russian Federation.
Franz Klintsevich:(Speaks Russian)
Kelly:“Let's be frank,” he says. Snowden did pass on classified information. That's what the security services do. If there is an opportunity to get information, they will get it.” However, Snowden's lawyer Ben Wizner denies this.
Ben Wisner: Of course, it is impossible to prove otherwise. But, as Snowden has made clear, he didn't even bring secret documents back to Russia with him, precisely because he didn't want to be coerced. He was approached with certain requests. But he made it clear that he had no desire to cooperate, and he still does not have such a desire.
Kelly: US Intelligence Officials Claim Snowden's Revelations Caused Serious Damage to the System national security USA. Whatever information Snowden gave to the Russian government - if he did at all - he is accused in the US of violating the Anti-Espionage Act, which could result in a lengthy prison sentence. I asked Wisner one more important question regarding Snowden's stay in Russia: how long will he be here? Wisner admitted that his client doesn't have many options.
Wisner: The first option is to stay in Russia. The second option is to end up in a cell in a maximum security prison and be cut off from the whole world. Of course, now he is trying to find a third option.
Kelly: According to Wisner, that option is to somehow return to the US "with dignity" or secure guarantees of safe passage to some other country. Snowden himself declined to give us an interview, but he leaves notes on his Twitter page, where he has over 2 million followers. Meanwhile, Snowden only follows one page, the National Security Agency page. Mary Louise Kelly, NPR News, Moscow.
Edward Snowden was born in North Carolina, in the town of romantic name Elizabeth City, and spent his childhood and youth in Maryland. There he graduated from high school and entered college, where he studied computer science. Interestingly, Edward did not manage to get a diploma the first time.In 2003, Snowden joined the US Army, but during an unsuccessful exercise, he received fractures of both legs and was forced to leave the service.
Snowden later got a job with the US National Security Agency. His task was to protect some secret facility located on the territory of the University of Maryland. Presumably it was CASL (Center for Advanced Language Studies). During his work, Snowden received a Top Secret clearance, thanks to which he could have access to many classified materials.
Since March 2007, Snowden worked for the CIA, in the information security department (he System Administrator). Until 2009, he worked at the UN under the guise of the US mission and was involved in ensuring the security of computer networks.
However, at one point, Edward became disillusioned with the work of the American intelligence services. He told how in 2007 he witnessed an extremely unpleasant story: CIA officers got a Swiss bank employee drunk, put him behind the wheel and persuaded him to go home. When he was arrested for driving in drunk, the agents offered him a deal - help in exchange for access to the bank's secret information. Snowden said that during his time in Geneva, he saw that the activities of his government do more harm to the world than good. Edward hoped that with the coming to power of Barack Obama, the situation would change for the better, but things only got worse.
Edard retired from the CIA and recent times rented a house in Hawaii with his girlfriend and worked for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Disclosure of classified information
In January 2012, Snowden wrote several encrypted emails- Laura Pryglava of the Free Press Foundation, Guardian journalist Glen Greenwald, and Washington Post contributor Barton Gellman. He offered to supply them with some secret information, which, in a flash, he did.
On June 6, 2013, the public became aware of the existence of PRISM, a US top secret state program. The program is aimed at extracting secret and not very information on the Internet; companies such as Microsoft, Google, Yahoo!, Facebook and others willingly cooperated with it. Complete chaos and hysteria reigned in the ranks of the employees of the National Security Agency, they as soon as possible turned to the FBI for help in the investigation.
In fact, thanks to Snowden, the Americans learned that they could be massively monitored through email, phone, video chats and personal correspondence on social networks.
Snowden also divulged information about the existence of the British spying program Tempora and that UK intelligence agencies penetrated computers and monitored calls from foreign politicians at the G20 summit (London, 2009).
This and many other declassified information caused enormous damage to the secret services of the United States and Great Britain.
Snowden said that he does not transmit all secret data, but only those that will not cause harm. specific people, but will help to make the world a better place even for a second - people should be aware of what is in their privacy can enter at any moment.
What's next?
After the disclosure of classified data, on May 20, 2013, Snowden took a leave of absence from the NSA, said goodbye to his girlfriend and flew to Hong Kong. On June 6, he told Gellman that his home in Hawaii had been raided - the same day the classified information was published in the Washington Post and The Guardian.On June 22, the US State Department asked the Hong Kong authorities to extradite him to the United States, but the authorities refused to do this - they were not satisfied with some of the wording in the request.
On June 23, Snowden's adventures with Russia began. There was information that Edward Snowden, along with a representative of Wikileaks Sarah Harrison, arrived at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. Snowen, who did not have a Russian visa, was not allowed to cross the border with Russia, so he remained in the Sheremetyevo transit zone. According to press reports, Snowden and Harrison did not even get to the airport building, but immediately got into a car with Venezuelan embassy numbers and disappeared in an unknown direction. On the evening of June 23, Snowden asked for political asylum from the authorities of Ecuador.
On June 25, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia had nothing to do with the actions of Edward Snowden, never did and does not do business with him, he did not commit crimes on Russian territory, therefore there are no grounds for his arrest and transfer to US authorities. .
On June 30, Sarah Harrison handed over to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs the documents and Snowden's request to grant him political asylum in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would grant asylum to the fugitive saboteur, but on the condition that he stop harming the US government.
Upon his return to the US, Snowden faces a prison term of up to 30 years, while his supporters collect millions of signatures in his defense, and in Hong Kong, petitions are held outside the walls of the US embassy.
Secret materials about the global surveillance of the US and British intelligence services on the Internet, received temporary asylum in Russia three years ago. A year later, on August 1, 2014, he was granted a three-year residence permit.
Snowden fled the United States to Hong Kong and arrived in Moscow on June 23, 2013, where he spent some time in the Sheremetyevo transit zone, from where he applied to 21 countries for temporary asylum.
US authorities have charged Snowden with three counts, each of which threatens him with up to ten years in prison: illegal transmission of information of national security importance; deliberate transfer of intelligence information and theft of state property.
Snowden himself has stated his repeated attempts to express concern about NSA surveillance of US citizens inside the agency, but intelligence has not taken any action.
Snowden releases secret report on US cyberattacks on foreign partiesThe US government has authorized hacker attacks on foreign political parties and organization, former National Security Agency official Edward Snowden said on Monday, posting secret document from 2010.The head of the German counterintelligence, Hans-Georg Maasen, suggested that Edward Snowden was an agent of the Russian special services. Snowden himself has repeatedly stated that he does not work for the FSB. President Vladimir Putin also noted that "our special services have never worked with Mr. Snowden and are not working."
However, Maasen made it clear that he had reason to consider Snowden's activities "part of the hybrid war waged by Russia against the West," the website of the German Bundestag reported, citing a speech by the head of counterintelligence. According to the official, the service foreign intelligence(SVR) could recruit and send an NSA agent, and the fact that in the international public opinion the American remains a solitary idealist, is "the pinnacle of Russian success in disinformation work.
According to Snowden's lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, his client initially told the FSB that he would not cooperate with any special service in the world. "I can say that Edward never deviated from his principle - not to cooperate with any governments and any structures of any countries, including the Russian Federation," the lawyer said.
A spokesperson for WikiLeaks also denied reports that the Russian FSB was trying to recruit a former NSA officer.
Life in Moscow without an iPhone
Now Edward Snowden lives in a normal rented apartment and moves around Moscow by metro, goes to shops, like all other residents of the city, buys food and everything he needs, but his exact place of residence is not disclosed due to security reasons. This was reported to the media by his lawyer.
According to Kucherena, Snowden works in his specialty - IT-technologies, as a consultant in one of the companies.
"I'm fine, I live normal life, I even ride the Moscow metro. The only difference from past life is that I don't use an iPhone," Snowden said in an interview.
In addition, Snowden traveled to the regions of Russia, and this trip made a good impression on him. "I traveled around the country. He was in St. Petersburg (not the first time), in a number of other regions. He has good impressions. He is not indifferent to what is happening in our country," Kucherena told RIA Novosti.
He also reported on Snowden's progress in learning Russian. “We can already calmly talk with him on some proposals, which pleases,” the lawyer said.
Snowden's girlfriend remained in the United States, who periodically visits him. Kucherena also reported that the possibility of her moving to Russia was being considered. According to him, she comes quite often, so the lawyer is ready to help her if she decides to apply for a residence permit. The lawyer also did not rule out that his parents, with whom he keeps in touch, will again be able to come to Snowden. Two years ago, his father had already visited him.
The former NSA officer himself is not going to leave Russia, although he has repeatedly stated that he would still like to return. Snowden, who spoke via Skype at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum, said he would agree to extradition to the United States if the authorities gave him a fair trial.
“I told the government that I would return if I was guaranteed a fair trial, where I could defend the interests of society ... and the jury could make a decision,” Snowden was quoted as saying.
His lawyer noted that while Snowden is being politically persecuted and insulted by American politicians, there is no hope for a fair trial in the United States.
“For us and for him, this experience was not easy: a similar case first occurred when a former US intelligence officer ended up in Russia. He feels more or less normal here, although the more I get to know him, the more I see that he is a true patriot USA, which cares about everything that happens in America," Kucherena said.
Persecution and extradition request
The European Parliament has already called on the EU states to "refuse any prosecution of Snowden, provide him with protection and, accordingly, prevent his extradition or return by a third party - in recognition of his status as a danger whistleblower and international human rights defender."
US CIA director John Brennan said on July 14 that Snowden should return to the US and stand trial. Brennan also stated that he did not agree with the former attorney general USA by Eric Holder, who assessed Snowden's activities as a "service to society". The head of the CIA does not believe that thanks to Snowden, an active discussion of socially significant issues began in the country.
According to the deputy head of the State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption Dmitry Gorovtsov (" Fair Russia"), the United States so often changes its position on Snowden's activities that he may soon become national hero, possibly after the election of a new American president.
Movie hero and award winner
The fate of the former intelligence officer turned out to be so interesting to the whole world that over the past few years he has been awarded a number of awards and became the hero of films.
The International League for Human Rights, based in Berlin, in 2014 awarded the former intelligence officer a medal named after Karl von Ossietzky, a German pacifist and journalist, winner of the 1935 Nobel Peace Prize.
2014 International Decent Lifestyle Award, often referred to by alternative journalists Nobel Prize and awarded for work in the field environment and human rights, Snowden was awarded for having "with great courage made public classified electronic surveillance materials conducted by American intelligence agencies outside the framework of democratic control and in violation of fundamental civil rights". The laureate himself was not present at the ceremony in Stockholm, but participated via direct video link from Russia.
In March 2016, the Norwegian PEN Club, which brings together writers, poets and journalists, awarded him the Carl von Ossietzky Prize, which is awarded for work in the field of freedom of expression. The presentation is scheduled for November 18th. After the award was given, the club stated that they would like to see the winner in Oslo. Snowden's lawyers are seeking Norwegian authorities to attend the award ceremony with legal guarantees against his extradition to the United States.
The founder of the Russian social network VKontakte, Pavel Durov, called Snowden his personal hero. “We are the same age, and in a sense, I perceive this fight with the National Security Agency as a battle of our generation,” Durov said in an interview with the British newspaper Daily Mail.
Durov noted that he had never met him in person, but offered a job on his new Telegram messaging app. Snowden rejected the offer.
During this time, even a special award named after a former NSA employee managed to appear. The Internet Media Awards (IMA) in the spring of 2014 was established by the RAEC Internet Media Commission together with Notamedia and the Ekho Moskvy radio station. The organizers note that Snowden personally agreed to assigning his name to the award.
In the US, they believe that Snowden can reveal a number of secret materialsEdward Snowden in June 2013 handed over to the media a number of classified materials about the surveillance programs of the US and British intelligence services on the Internet. The damage from the activities of the ex-US intelligence officer cannot be calculated so far.In addition, the film "Snowden" directed by Oliver Stone is expected this year. leading role in which Joseph Gordon-Levitt played, the girlfriend of the movie hero Shainlin Woodley. According to the director, the film will be in the "political thriller" genre and will tell the story of Snowden from the time when he was not yet an agent of the special services, to the very scandal with the leak of classified information. Russian premiere film will take place simultaneously with the world - September 15.
Stone has already shown the edited film to lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, based on whose book the film was made. "I was very impressed because I did not expect such a great artist as Oliver Stone to pay attention to my book and make a good quality movie based on the book. Not just a movie, not just some kind of blockbuster, but a movie that makes you think," Kucherena told RIA Novosti.
Current activities
Anatoly Kucherena told RIA Novosti that his ward daily receives a lot of different invitations "from almost all countries of the world", "he is invited to give lectures, and speak, and speak out on various issues."
It was also reported that Snowden will speak at the festival in Denmark via video link, talk with the participants of the event about equality and human rights.
"He is a very demanded person, but let's also take into account that he works very hard, he really has a lot of things to do now, including he pays a lot of attention to human rights issues and many other issues," his lawyer said.
Snowden also expressed his opinion on Russian anti-terrorism laws. A former employee of the American intelligence services criticized in his microblog in social network Twitter package of laws that introduce life imprisonment for international terrorism and oblige telecom operators, instant messengers and social networks to store information about the facts of conversations and correspondence of users and their content.
“Mass surveillance does not work. This law will take money and freedom from every Russian without improving security. You should not sign it,” Snowden added.
"I think that these documents will be a big surprise for the whole world. There are a large number of documents that have not been previously published," Miranda said in an interview.
https://www.site/2018-06-30/snouden_zayavil_o_korrumpirovannosti_pravitelstva_rf_kotoroe_predostavilo_emu_ubezhiche
Snowden spoke about the corruption of the Russian government, which granted him asylum
Former US intelligence officer Edward Snowden Friso Gentsch/dpa/Global Look Press
Edward Snowden, a former employee of the US National Security Agency, said that the Russian government, which granted him asylum, is corrupt. He said this in an interview with the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.
"As is known Russian people, the Russian government is corrupt in many ways,” Snowden said. “I think the Russians feel powerless.” So he answered a question about civic activism in a country "which is widely known for violating human rights." “Russians are not naive, they know not to trust state television. Russians are warm-hearted and smart. The problem is in the government, not in the people, ”added the former US intelligence officer.
According to Snowden, he has never met Russian President Vladimir Putin, but "definitely disagrees" with the principles of the work of the head of the Russian Federation.
Asked if Snowden thinks it is dangerous for him to criticize local government, he replied that, without a doubt, there is a risk: “Maybe the government doesn’t care what I say. I do not speak Russian. And I'm a former CIA agent, so it's very easy for them to discredit my Political Views as an American CIA agent in Russia."
The former American special agent said that the Russian special services offered him cooperation as soon as he arrived in Russia, but he categorically refused. “I don’t need connections with them [with Russian government], I don’t want to participate, I never planned to be here,” Snowden explained.
At the same time, he told how he lives in Russia now: “I ride the subway, live in an apartment with my girlfriend and cry rent, As the others". However, according to him, he does not use bank cards and tries not to advertise his name.
The journalists specified that the interview took place in a hotel not far from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Snowden: the new head of the CIA was involved in torture
Edward Snowden in June 2013 handed over to the Washington Post and Guardian newspapers a number of classified materials about the surveillance programs of the US and British intelligence services on the Internet. He flew to Hong Kong, and from there to Moscow, where for some time he was in the transit zone of the Moscow airport. Russia granted Snowden temporary asylum for a year on the condition that he cease his activities against the United States. On August 1, 2014, Snowden received a three-year residence permit.
In the materials of the National Security Agency, handed over to journalists by his former employee Edward Snowden, there was a mention that the FSB hacked into the mail of the browser Novaya Gazeta Anna Politkovskaya in 2005, a year before her assassination, reports The Intercept, citing this previously unpublished top-secret document. The document itself is available at Documentcloud.org. An entry about the email hack was made on Snowden's Intellipedia, the NSA's internal wiki, which stated: Email murdered Russian
US President Barack Obama says he can't consider pardoning former NSA officer Edward Snowden until he appears before a US court. I cannot pardon a man who has not been brought to justice. Therefore, at this stage, I cannot comment on this topic, he said in an interview with Spiegel magazine.
As Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted on September 4, 2013, during his stay in Hong Kong, Snowden first met with Russian diplomatic representatives and probed the possibility of moving to Russia.
On July 16, 2013, Snowden formally applied to the Federal Migration Service with a request for temporary asylum in Russia. On August 1, 2013, Snowden received a certificate of temporary asylum in the Russian Federation, issued on July 31, 2013 by the Office of the Federal Migration Service for the Moscow Region and valid until July 31, 2014 (with the possibility of extension); this document gives the right to freely move around the territory of Russia and find employment (with the exception of the civil service) without obtaining a work permit. On the same day, Snowden crossed the Russian border, leaving the transit area of Terminal E of Sheremetyevo Airport and leaving, according to lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, in a taxi, accompanied by Sarah Harrison, in an unknown direction. Anatoly Kucherena, showing a copy of the asylum document, said that, for security reasons, the location of Snowden, one of the most wanted people in the world, would not be disclosed.
The actions of Edward Snowden are given conflicting assessments. According to some people, he is a hero, whistleblower, dissident or even a patriot, according to others - a traitor. Some US intelligence officials condemn his actions as causing "heavy damage" to US intelligence capabilities, but there are also those who do not take Snowden's revelations seriously and declare him simply a clown or a liar. US President Barack Obama said that "it is not yet known exactly what Snowden did" and he prefers to refrain from issuing any preliminary assessment Snowden's actions before he goes to trial.
On August 2, 2013, as a result of the revelations published by Snowden, Germany terminated the agreements with the United States and Great Britain, concluded in 1968 and 1969, which allowed the special services of these states to engage in electronic intelligence in Germany, but soon began to prepare a new agreement with the United States prohibiting mutual espionage. Spain demanded clarification from the United States regarding the interception of telephone and Internet communications on its territory. Brazil made the same request.
Edward Snowden story about Russia. Latest details.
“I am ready to sacrifice all of this because I cannot in good conscience allow the US government to violate the privacy, freedom of the Internet and the fundamental freedoms of people around the world with this huge surveillance system that they are secretly developing,” he told The Guardian.
Previously, ransomware viruses penetrated Windows computers in Russia, the USA, Great Britain, Spain, Italy and other countries. Former National Security Agency (NSA) employee Edward Snowden urged Congress to learn about other vulnerabilities operating systems, which are used in UK hospitals. In light of today's attack, Congress needs to know if the NSA is aware of other vulnerabilities in the operating systems used in our hospitals, Snowden tweeted. He added that if the NSA had not
“I have already said and will repeat that I am most interested in Zcash right now, because its privacy options are really unique. But we see how many other projects are moving towards this,” Snowden said about his preferences.
In an accompanying note to the first batch of documents, Snowden wrote: “I understand that I will have to suffer for my actions,” but “I will be satisfied if secret laws, unequal impunity and irresistible executive branch, ruling topic the world that I love, just for a moment.” “I really want these documents to be in the spotlight, and I hope that this will generate discussion among citizens of all about the kind of world we want to live in.”
Moscow. 30 June. INTERFAX.RU - Anatoly Kucherena, a lawyer for ex-CIA officer Edward Snowden, said that Russia would not bargain with the United States on the extradition or exchange of a fugitive American. "Russia…
), North Carolina) is an American technician and special agent, a former employee of the CIA and the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States. In early June 2013, Snowden handed over to The Guardian and The Washington Post newspapers classified information from the NSA regarding the total surveillance of information communications between citizens of many states around the world by American intelligence agencies using existing information networks and communications networks, including information about the PRISM project, as well as X-Keyscore and Tempora. According to a classified Pentagon report, Snowden stole 1.7 million classified files, most of the documents concern "vital operations american army, fleet, marines and air force". In this regard, in the United States on June 14, 2013, Snowden was charged in absentia with espionage and theft of state property. He was put on the international wanted list by the US authorities. Soon he fled from the United States, first to Hong Kong, then to Russia, where he spent more than a month in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo Airport. On August 1, 2013, he received temporary asylum in the Russian Federation, a year later - a three-year residence permit, which was extended in 2017 until 2020. Lives in Russia outside of Moscow (according to other later reports - in Moscow); his exact location has not been released for security reasons.
On October 10, the New York Film Festival premiered a two-hour documentary about Edward Snowden, Citizenfour. The Truth of Snowden by Laura Poitras. On the same day, a 2.7-meter-high plaster statue of Edward Snowden appeared on Union Square in New York, but it did not stand there for long, because it was installed without permission.
On June 14, 2015, it became known that British intelligence MI6 withdrew its agents from several countries after Russia and China cracked a secret cache of files stolen by former US intelligence officer Edward Snowden. This was reported by the Sunday Times newspaper, citing sources in the British government, the Home Office and intelligence agencies.
On June 25, 2013, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced at a press conference in Moscow that Russia had nothing to do with Snowden's movements around the world, and Russian authorities learned about Snowden's plans to go to South America from information in the press. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Snowden is in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo Airport, where a Russian visa is not required, he did not cross the Russian border and did not commit any crimes on the territory of the country, and therefore there are no grounds for his detention and extradition to the United States. Putin also said: "Our special services have never worked with Mr. Snowden and are not working today." On June 30, in an interview with Ekho Moskvy, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, specified that Putin, on the contrary, prefers that special services deal with Snowden.
Edward Snowden: where now?. Exclusive.
On July 5, the award ceremony for the winners of the Media Manager of Russia 2018 award took place. More than 100 media business professionals from all over Russia became participants in the award, the results of which were evaluated by the Expert Council and the jury of the award.
On May 21, at a hotel in Moscow, Snowden met with NBC TV presenter Brian Williams. The conversation lasted about four hours. The interview aired on NBC on May 29 at 0600 UTC (0200 UTC).
In the German city of Kassel, for the 26th time, the prestigious German award, the Glass of Prudence, was presented. This award is awarded to those who have made a significant contribution to the cultivation of tolerance and mutual understanding, as well as overcoming ideological differences between people. The award ceremony was held in Kassel state theater. The German public also awarded the Glass of Prudence to Edward Snowden. In 2013, despite the risk to his own safety and life, he revealed to the world the facts about the total surveillance of US citizens by the US special services.
Oh in an interview with Oliver Stone. Former employee of the US National Security Agency (NSA) Edward Snowden, who received asylum in Russia, is not a traitor to the interests of his country. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated this in an interview with American director Oliver Stone, excerpts of which were published on June 1 at publication website Hollywood Reporter. Snowden is not a traitor. He did not betray the interests of his country, he also did not transfer any information to any other country, the publication quotes Putin. In the same time
July According to documentary Citizenfour, Snowden's girlfriend moved to Russia, dancer Lindsay Mills, whose relationship with Snowden has been going on since 2009. In January 2014, it was reported in the press that Snowden and Mills had broken up, but this claim was debunked in the film.
