MOSCOW—National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden received temporary asylum in Russia and left Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport for an undisclosed location, raising the prospect that the most high-profile U.S. fugitive of recent years will remain in Russia for the foreseeable future.
NSA leaker, Edward Snowden, says the U.S. has left him "stateless". Is that the case? What happens when the U.S. revokes an American's passport? How often does that happen? How do you renounce your citizenship? WSJ's Jason Bellini has #TheShortAnswer.
Anatoly Kucherena, a lawyer who has been representing Mr. Snowden in Moscow, said the U.S. fugitive received asylum for a renewable period of one year, a designation that allows him to live, work and travel on Russian territory.
"He has left for a safe place," Mr. Kucherena said on Thursday in a statement in front of cameras at the airport's Terminal E. He told The Wall Street Journal in a phone interview that he had escorted Mr. Snowden into a car and sent him on his way. He declined to say where his client was headed.
Russia's decision to harbor Mr. Snowden is likely to weigh on an already frosty relationship with Washington and could derail a planned summit in Moscow between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for early September.
In the first hours after the news, there was silence from the Obama administration, which has spent weeks in an aggressive, worldwide campaign to secure Mr. Snowden's return. Because of that, many lawmakers and analysts saw Thursday's move as a humiliation for the U.S.
"The smart thing [for Moscow] would have been to get rid of the guy as soon as possible," said James Jay Carafano of the Heritage Foundation.
Senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties regarded the decision as a blow to relations between Moscow and Washington.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), characterized it as a "game changer." "It is now time for Congress, hopefully in conjunction with the administration, to make it clear to the Russian government that this provocative step in granting Snowden asylum will be met with a firm response," he said.
Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) suggested the White House respond with steps certain to anger Moscow, including stepping up U.S. advocacy of human rights and civil liberties in Russia, accelerating European missile-defense programs and pressing an expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, including membership for the Republic of Georgia.
"We have long needed to take a more realistic approach to our relations with Russia, and I hope today we finally start," Mr. McCain said.
U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on Russia to reverse the action. "Regardless of the fact that Russia is granting asylum for one year, the action is a setback to U.S.-Russia relations," he said.
For Mr. Snowden, Russia's hospitality could prove a mixed blessing. The Kremlin has demanded he cease his "political activities" in order to stay in the country.
Mr. Kucherena, the lawyer, appeared on state television holding up a copy of a refugee certificate, dated July 31, which Russian authorities issued to Mr. Snowden. The certificate resembled a Russian passport, bearing Mr. Snowden's photo and biographical details. It isn't valid for international travel.
"In terms of places to live, he will choose himself," Mr. Kucherena said in the TV interview. "He can live in a hotel or rent an apartment. Seeing as he is the most wanted person on earth, he today will also be focusing on questions of his own security."
"He has to go through a period of adaptation," Mr. Kucherena said. "He has spent a rather long time in the transit zone, so I would ask for your understanding."
Mr. Snowden is aware of the media's interest in speaking to him, Mr. Kucherena said. He asked for patience from the dozens of reporters who have staked out the airport for more than a month hoping to catch a glimpse of the 30-year-old former national security contractor.
Mr. Snowden, who is wanted by U.S. authorities for leaking documents related to the NSA's foreign and domestic surveillance operations, told a group of civil-society figures here last month that he wants to remain in Russia temporarily until he can secure safe passage to Latin America, where a number of countries have offered him asylum. He has been unable to reach those countries since the U.S. revoked his passport.
Though both the White House and the Kremlin have emphasized that they don't want the Snowden affair to hurt U.S.-Russian relations, it has come to overshadow recent efforts to patch up tattered ties.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov immediately tried to play down the impact of the decision to harbor Mr. Snowden. "This situation is too insignificant to affect political relations," he said in comments to the Interfax news agency.
Mr. Snowden arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong on June 22. With the help of antisecrecy group WikiLeaks, he had been trying to reach Ecuador, where he was seeking asylum. Instead, he found himself stuck in Russia.
On Thursday, WikiLeaks issued a statement on Twitter thanking Russia. "We would like to thank the Russian people and all those others who have helped to protect Mr. Snowden," the group said. "We have won the battle—now the war."
The group said that Mr. Snowden had left the airport "under the care" of WikiLeaks aide Sarah Harrison, who has been traveling with Mr. Snowden since he left Hong Kong.
—Dion Nissenbaum and Andrew Aylward in Washington contributed to this article. Write to Paul Sonne at [email protected]
NSA leaker, Edward Snowden, says the U.S. has left him "stateless". Is that the case? What happens when the U.S. revokes an American's passport? How often does that happen? How do you renounce your citizenship? WSJ's Jason Bellini has #TheShortAnswer.
Anatoly Kucherena, a lawyer who has been representing Mr. Snowden in Moscow, said the U.S. fugitive received asylum for a renewable period of one year, a designation that allows him to live, work and travel on Russian territory.
"He has left for a safe place," Mr. Kucherena said on Thursday in a statement in front of cameras at the airport's Terminal E. He told The Wall Street Journal in a phone interview that he had escorted Mr. Snowden into a car and sent him on his way. He declined to say where his client was headed.
Russia's decision to harbor Mr. Snowden is likely to weigh on an already frosty relationship with Washington and could derail a planned summit in Moscow between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for early September.
In the first hours after the news, there was silence from the Obama administration, which has spent weeks in an aggressive, worldwide campaign to secure Mr. Snowden's return. Because of that, many lawmakers and analysts saw Thursday's move as a humiliation for the U.S.
"The smart thing [for Moscow] would have been to get rid of the guy as soon as possible," said James Jay Carafano of the Heritage Foundation.
Senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties regarded the decision as a blow to relations between Moscow and Washington.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), characterized it as a "game changer." "It is now time for Congress, hopefully in conjunction with the administration, to make it clear to the Russian government that this provocative step in granting Snowden asylum will be met with a firm response," he said.
Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) suggested the White House respond with steps certain to anger Moscow, including stepping up U.S. advocacy of human rights and civil liberties in Russia, accelerating European missile-defense programs and pressing an expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, including membership for the Republic of Georgia.
"We have long needed to take a more realistic approach to our relations with Russia, and I hope today we finally start," Mr. McCain said.
U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on Russia to reverse the action. "Regardless of the fact that Russia is granting asylum for one year, the action is a setback to U.S.-Russia relations," he said.
For Mr. Snowden, Russia's hospitality could prove a mixed blessing. The Kremlin has demanded he cease his "political activities" in order to stay in the country.
Mr. Kucherena, the lawyer, appeared on state television holding up a copy of a refugee certificate, dated July 31, which Russian authorities issued to Mr. Snowden. The certificate resembled a Russian passport, bearing Mr. Snowden's photo and biographical details. It isn't valid for international travel.
"In terms of places to live, he will choose himself," Mr. Kucherena said in the TV interview. "He can live in a hotel or rent an apartment. Seeing as he is the most wanted person on earth, he today will also be focusing on questions of his own security."
"He has to go through a period of adaptation," Mr. Kucherena said. "He has spent a rather long time in the transit zone, so I would ask for your understanding."
Mr. Snowden is aware of the media's interest in speaking to him, Mr. Kucherena said. He asked for patience from the dozens of reporters who have staked out the airport for more than a month hoping to catch a glimpse of the 30-year-old former national security contractor.
Mr. Snowden, who is wanted by U.S. authorities for leaking documents related to the NSA's foreign and domestic surveillance operations, told a group of civil-society figures here last month that he wants to remain in Russia temporarily until he can secure safe passage to Latin America, where a number of countries have offered him asylum. He has been unable to reach those countries since the U.S. revoked his passport.
Though both the White House and the Kremlin have emphasized that they don't want the Snowden affair to hurt U.S.-Russian relations, it has come to overshadow recent efforts to patch up tattered ties.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov immediately tried to play down the impact of the decision to harbor Mr. Snowden. "This situation is too insignificant to affect political relations," he said in comments to the Interfax news agency.
Mr. Snowden arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong on June 22. With the help of antisecrecy group WikiLeaks, he had been trying to reach Ecuador, where he was seeking asylum. Instead, he found himself stuck in Russia.
On Thursday, WikiLeaks issued a statement on Twitter thanking Russia. "We would like to thank the Russian people and all those others who have helped to protect Mr. Snowden," the group said. "We have won the battle—now the war."
The group said that Mr. Snowden had left the airport "under the care" of WikiLeaks aide Sarah Harrison, who has been traveling with Mr. Snowden since he left Hong Kong.
—Dion Nissenbaum and Andrew Aylward in Washington contributed to this article. Write to Paul Sonne at [email protected]