Nine years after he exposed the scale of secret surveillance operations undertaken by the United States' National Security Agency (NSA) and sought refuge in Russia, President Vladimir Putin has finally granted Russian citizenship to whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The move comes at a time when the relationship between Moscow and Washington is at an all-time low, thanks to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Watch |&nbsp;WION Fineprint | Russia admits to mistakes during mobilisation

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Just five days back Putin had declared the first Russian public mobilisation since World War Two to support Moscow's faltering invasion of Ukraine. Now the news of Snowden's citizenship has led to humorous quips about whether the whistleblower will be drafted into the military.

"Will Snowden be drafted?" Editor-in-chief of the state-run media company RT and ardent Putin admirer Margarita Simonyan wrote in a darkly humorous tone on her Telegram channel.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japanese-diplomat-arrested-in-russia-by-its-federal-security-service-suspected-of-spying-519888" hreflang="en">Japanese diplomat arrested in Russia by its Federal Security Service, suspected of spying</a>

Given that Snowden has no prior military experience in the Russian army, according to Snowden's attorney Anatoly Kucherena, he would not be called up for duty.

As per an AFP report, Edward Joseph Snowden, born June 21, 1983, was listed among the newly naturalised Russian nationals in a presidential decree that was released on Monday.&nbsp;

Since his 2013 allegations that the US government was spying on its citizens, the former American intelligence contractor has been living in exile in Russia.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kazakhstan-says-it-wont-recognise-referendums-in-eastern-ukraine-519862" hreflang="en">Kazakhstan says it won't recognise referendums in eastern Ukraine</a>

Reuters reports that in order for Snowden to stand trial for espionage, American authorities have long demanded that he be brought back to the country.

In November 2020, the fugitive whistleblower revealed that he had applied for Russian citizenship, adding that he will attempt to keep his US citizenship. As per AFP,&nbsp;Moscow's rigorous citizenship requirements were relaxed a few years ago to allow people to hold Russian passports without giving up their original nationalities.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Nine years after he exposed the scale of secret surveillance operations undertaken by the United States' National Security Agency (NSA) and sought refuge in Russia, President Vladimir Putin has finally granted Russian citizenship to whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Nine years after he exposed the scale of secret surveillance operations undertaken by the United States' National Security Agency (NSA) and sought refuge in Russia, President Vladimir Putin has finally granted Russian citizenship to whistleblower Edward Snowden. The move comes at a time when the relationship between Moscow and Washington is at an all-time low, thanks to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Watch | WION Fineprint | Russia admits to mistakes during mobilisation Just five days back Putin had declared the first Russian public mobilisation since World War Two to support Moscow's faltering invasion of Ukraine. Now the news of Snowden's citizenship has led to humorous quips about whether the whistleblower will be drafted into the military. "Will Snowden be drafted?" Editor-in-chief of the state-run media company RT and ardent Putin admirer Margarita Simonyan wrote in a darkly humorous tone on her Telegram channel. Also read| Japanese diplomat arrested in Russia by its Federal Security Service, suspected of spying Given that Snowden has no prior military experience in the Russian army, according to Snowden's attorney Anatoly Kucherena, he would not be called up for duty. As per an AFP report, Edward Joseph Snowden, born June 21, 1983, was listed among the newly naturalised Russian nationals in a presidential decree that was released on Monday. Since his 2013 allegations that the US government was spying on its citizens, the former American intelligence contractor has been living in exile in Russia. Also read | Kazakhstan says it won't recognise referendums in eastern Ukraine Reuters reports that in order for Snowden to stand trial for espionage, American authorities have long demanded that he be brought back to the country. In November 2020, the fugitive whistleblower revealed that he had applied for Russian citizenship, adding that he will attempt to keep his US citizenship. As per AFP, Moscow's rigorous citizenship requirements were relaxed a few years ago to allow people to hold Russian passports without giving up their original nationalities. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Putin grants Snowden Russian citizenship, people ask will the whisteblower be 'drafted into army'?

Edward Snowden, a former US intelligence contractor who revealed in 2013 that the US government was spying on its citizens, has said he would like to return to his home country, but only on the condition of a fair trial.

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Putin grants Snowden Russian citizenship, people ask will the whisteblower be 'drafted into army'?

Edward Snowden asks to return to US; Trump to 'take a look' at pardoning