Whistleblower Edward Snowden, who dumped an unfiltered tranche of classified information into the public domain and then sought asylum in Russia, is seeking Russian citizenship, Politico reports.
Snowden stated that his wife is pregnant and that he wants dual citizenship to enjoy the protections of both governments. He was recently granted permanent resident status in Russia two weeks ago.
“After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our son,” Snowden tweeted. “That’s why, in this era of pandemics and closed borders, we’re applying for dual US-Russian citizenship.”
Snowden has been charged with three felonies relating to disclosing classified information relating to domestic and foreign surveillance operations being undertaken by US national security agencies. Snowden was a contractor for the National Security Agency when he made the classified information public.
“Lindsay and I will remain Americans, raising our son with all the values of the America we love — including the freedom to speak his mind,” Snowden said. “I look forward to the day I can return to the States, so the whole family can be reunited.”