Edward Snowden granted permission to live in Russia for three more years

The Russian government has granted National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden permission to stay in Russia for three more years.

The New York Times reports that Snowden's Russian lawyer Anatoly G. Kucherena made the announcement. The three years began on August 1. Snowden's previous residency permit, granted in August 2013 after Snowden flew to Russia from Hong Kong, expired July 31.

The new permit also grants Snowden permission to leave Russia for up to three months at a time. Snowden's lawyer also provided a few details about Snowden's life in Russia. He has begun learning the Russian language and currently works in the information technology industry. He also receives financial support from a fund set up to accept donations from sympathizers abroad.

The lawyer denied reports that Snowden was receiving protection from the Russian government, but did concede that he was living with private security.

After living in Russia for five years, Snowden will have the right to apply for citizenship. Since Snowden has already lived in Russia for a year, he will be eligible to apply in 2018, assuming that he is granted another residency permit after this new one expires.

Snowden had hoped to receive asylum in a Latin American nation, but intense pressure from the United States on Latin American governments seems to have put that option out of the question.

Edward Snowden had to flee to Russia after revealing a wide range of constitutional abuses carried out by the NSA. Among these are the collection of emails, phone calls, and images of millions of U.S. citizens who have no connection to terrorism or terrorist organizations.

The revelations have set off a fierce debate about the practices of U.S. security agencies.

They have also caused alarm in the U.S. tech community, which fears that because of obtrusive U.S. security practices, companies and governments abroad will turn to tech companies outside the U.S. to meet their needs, costing U.S. firms billions of dollars.