Snowden granted asylum in Russia, leaves Moscow airport
Edward Snowden, the fugitive former U.S. security contractor, left the transit zone at Moscow’s international airport Thursday after Russian authorities granted him temporary asylum.
Anatoly Kucherena, an attorney for Snowden, said documents were issued Thursday allowing Snowden to live and work in Russia for up to one year while his application for permanent political asylum is pending. Snowden, 30, had been stranded in Russia’s Sheremetyevo Airport for more than five weeks.
In Washington, White House spokesman Jay Carney said President Obama is “extremely disappointed” by Russia’s action and is reevaluating a planned trip to Moscow next month for a summit meeting with President Vladimir Putin. On Capitol Hill, U.S. lawmakers reacted furiously to the development, warning of serious repercussions in U.S.-Russian relations.
