Edward Snowden revealed in 2013 that the US government was spying on its citizens. (File)
Moscow:
Fugitive US whistleblower Edward Snowden said on Monday he had applied for Russian citizenship but would retain his US citizenship.
The former US intelligence contractor, who revealed in 2013 that the US government was spying on its citizens, has been living in exile in Russia since the revelations.
Snowden’s tweet comes weeks after gaining permanent residency in the country, and just days after her partner Lindsay Mills announced she was pregnant.
He tweeted: “After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our son.”
The 37-year-old said that “in this era of pandemics and closed borders, we are asking for dual US-Russian citizenship.”
Moscow has only recently relaxed its strict citizenship laws to allow individuals to hold Russian passports without rejecting their original nationality.
In the short thread, Snowden stressed that he and Mills “will remain Americans, raising our son with all of the America values we love – including the freedom to speak his mind.”
The former US entrepreneur is wanted in the United States on espionage charges after he disclosed information showing that National Security Agency agents were collecting phone records from millions of US citizens.
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump said he would “take a look” at Snowden’s forgiveness, but did not comment further on the matter.
A 2015 petition calling on then-President Barack Obama to forgive the whistleblower was rejected by the White House.
