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 Moscow's relations with the West are at Cold War-era lows over
Russia's actions in Ukraine. Russia banned certain food imports from
the United States, the European Union, Australia, Canada and Norway
on Thursday in response to Western sanctions.
"The decision on the application has been taken and therefore, with
effect from Aug. 1, 2014, Edward Snowden has received a three-year
residential permit," Anatoly Kucherena said. "In the future, Edward
himself will take a decision on whether to stay on (in Russia) on
and get Russian citizenship or leave for the United States."
He said Snowden could apply for citizenship in 2018 after living in
Russia for five years, but that he had not decided whether he wanted
to stay or leave.
The spokesman for the White House National Security Council, Ned
Price, said Snowden needed to return to the United States to face
charges related to the leaks.
"Mr. Snowden faces felony charges here in the United States. He
should return to the U.S. as soon as possible, where he will be
accorded full due process and protections," Price said.
Kucherena said Snowden was studying Russian and had an IT-related
job, but did not provide further details.
"He is a high-class IT specialist", he said.
He said Snowden's security was being taken seriously and that he was
using private security guards.
The tone of statements out of the United States, including out of
the State Department, suggests his security was at risk, even in
Russia, Kucherena said.
Kucherena has in the past expressed concerns that Snowden could be
in danger because of his intelligence background and the fact the
United States wants him to stand trial.
"I should say that he can move freely, he can go to the shops, visit
museums and theaters," he said. "(But) he needs to think about his
safety."
Snowden's place of residence has not been disclosed and few pictures
of him have appeared in the media.
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Snowden's father, Lon Snowden, who visited him last October, said
his son had more secrets to share and should stay in Russia "to make
sure the true story is told."
"Of course he misses them (his parents) greatly," Kucherena said.
"The fact that he remains here, far away from his motherland, of
course, was very difficult for him especially at the beginning."
Snowden fled to Hong Kong and then Moscow last year after leaking
details of secret state surveillance programs.
He spent almost six weeks at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport before
Russia granted him asylum for a year on Aug. 1, 2013, creating a
furor in the United States.
The leaks by Snowden, who is believed to have taken 1.7 million
digital documents with him, revealed massive programs run by the
U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) that gathered information on
hundreds of millions of Americans' emails, phone calls and Internet
use.
He was charged last year in the United States with theft of
government property, unauthorized communication of national defense
information and wilful communication of classified intelligence to
an unauthorized person.
(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton in Washington; Editing by
Kevin Liffey and Sonya Hepinstall)
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