U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden (37), who has been in exile in Russia since 2013, has been granted permanent residency in Russia. He's now on the path to Russian citizenship if he desires it.
From Reuters:
U.S. authorities have for years wanted Snowden returned to the United States to face a criminal trial on espionage charges brought in 2013.
"His (Russian) residency permit was expiring and we asked to extend it," Anatoly Kucherena, his Russian lawyer, told Reuters. Kucherena said the coronavirus pandemic had made the process longer than usual.
"We submitted the documents in April and we got the permanent residency rights (on Thursday)," he said.
