Snowden why russia

Instead, officials from Ecuador, where Snowden is seeking asylum, came to meet with him inside the international terminal — a sort of extraterritorial limbo. And it certainly seemed to be a quick layover: on Monday morning, Snowden was booked aboard an Aeroflot flight to Havana, Cuba, thought to be a stopover en route to his predicted final destination. But a throng of journalists who stood vigil at the gate in Moscow and later boarded the plane hoping for a glimpse of the leaker were greeted by the empty 17A seat which had been registered to Snowden.

The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has for months been dodging arrest at the Ecuadorean embassy in London, and his assistant was reportedly chaperoning Snowden on his flight from Hong Kong to Moscow on Sunday. The involvement of WikiLeaks also helps explain the choice of Russia as a transit point.

Assange, after months of isolation last year, got some badly needed help and exposure from the Russian state news network RT, which offered him a television show to host. The choice of Russia did come with some risks for Snowden, albeit minor ones. Sergei Bout, the brother of convicted international arms trafficker Viktor Bout, called on Sunday for Snowden to be arrested and swapped for his brother, who is serving a lengthy sentence in a U. Instead, they made clear Snowden had no reason to fear arrest in Russia.

That last point could have been a hint at the limits of Russian hospitality — if he does cross the border, the picture could change. But for now, it seems Moscow is a safe enough place for whistle-blowers to seek some respite, however temporary. And I look forward to the day I can return to the States, so the whole family can be reunited.

Our greatest wish is that, wherever our son lives, he feels at home. Russia has already granted Snowden permanent residency rights, his lawyer said last month , a vital step towards Russian citizenship. Snowden is benefiting from an immigration reform signed into law by Vladimir Putin in April that allows foreigners to receive a Russian passport without renouncing other citizenships.

Trump is running for a second presidential term against Democratic challenger Joe Biden in elections on Tuesday. Snowden keeps a low profile in Russia, speaking only in general terms about his living arrangements.