HACKER Q&A
📣 rootsudo

What Happened to Snowden?


What Happened to Snowden?


  👤 elviejo Accepted Answer ✓
He didn't choose to live in Russia, he was stranded there. Plus he also wants to return to the USA given that his judged in an open court. Not a secret one.

He says so in this interview:

https://youtu.be/PArFP7ZJrtg


👤 srvmshr
I bet this will be an uncomfortable period with a lot of strategizing for Snowden, without much outcome.

He chose to move to Russia and accept a permanent residency. He (and his lawyers) have expressed the desire to acquire Russian citizenship eventually as of 2020. The war with Ukraine has changed the political calculus everwhere. Snowden must be feeling caught between the devil and the deep sea.

As someone leaking secrets and overtly critical of American polity, it is hard for him to return to America. Certain jail time awaits. He hasn't been pardoned by the last two presidents despite numerous requests appearing in news. But now with Russian aggression, he finds himself locked in a country where quality of life, freedom & personal security is falling faster than a dropweight. He cannot choose another secure country. Worse, he could be blackmailed by Kremlin to be a state actor/mouthpiece in exchange for his personal security guarantees.

Tough choices.



👤 throwawaysleep
He gets to have a front row seat to what a surveillance state really looks like. I do not blame him for staying silent though. He has a family to try and keep safe.

👤 strangattractor
Unlike Henry David Thoreau and Chelsea Manning that served time in jail for defying the law on moral grounds. Snowden has chosen to live in Russia to avoid jail. Not sure if this has accomplished his desire to live in a country that does not spy on its people, jail political enemies, push journalist out windows and poison people.

👤 cable2600
I am certain Russia is having Snowden write spyware for them. We might see it soon enough as Russia uses it to spy on the USA and EU.