Putin grants Russian citizenship to whistleblower Edward Snowden

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday granting Russian citizenship to former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

Driving the news: Snowden fled the United States and was given asylum in Russia after revealing classified documents about the U.S. government's mass surveillance program in 2013.

Snowden was granted permanent residency in Russia in October 2020, but his lawyers said at the time that he was not considering applying for Russian citizenship.