Snowden receives permanent residency in Russia

Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has received a permanent residency permit in Russia, his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said Thursday, reported Xinhua.

The process to obtain the permit took longer than expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kucherena was quoted by local media as saying.

Snowden shocked the world in 2013 by revealing that the U.S. intelligence agencies utilized programs such as PRISM to conduct mass surveillance, targeting even state and government leaders of U.S. allies.

Snowden has been taking refuge in Russia since then and is wanted by the United States on charges of espionage and theft of government property.