Not a single mention, not even in passing, about how Snowden is silent since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, after claiming that Russia would never invade.
> I'm not suspended from the ceiling above a barrel of acid by a rope that burns a little faster every time I tweet, you concern-trolling ghouls. I've just lost any confidence I had that sharing my thinking on this particular topic continues to be useful, because I called it wrong.
He admitted that he was wrong, and did the responsible thing which is not speculating anymore about things he does not understand.
Given that he's stopped tweeting altogether after the start of the war despite usually posting daily I'm supposed to think he doesn't have opinions on anything any more out of his own volition? Odd coincidence
I mean, unless he had a much broader epiphany and you mean literally everything when you say “things he does not understand”, the tweet you reference, and your (reasonable) characterization of it's overt message read in isolation, doesn't really explain his actual behavior change.
EDIT: It's also worth noting that his next to last tweet, on the last day he tweeted before the six-day pause, was a vague (generally taken as negative) post apparently about Putin’s speech the same day: https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/1495848959335706630?t=QSI...
I think it's likely he had the epiphany that he'd be a pointed lesson in not mouthing off about Putin while you're exiled in Russia, especially with his wife and kid there.
Protesters were arrested for holding up literally blank placards.
At this point, anyone inside Russia isn't saying jack about jack, for very obvious reasons.
If you pick 2), which would you put money on: 3) that he'll be free to walk out of the airport at the destination country; or 4) that he'll be met by Interpol agents that'll arrest him and start the process of delivering him to USA?
It could be his last opportunity to escape to someplace where he can raise his kid in peace.
Unnecessary hyperbole. There have been several in the US intelligence community’s history who committed much more grave offenses than Snowden. They went to trial and are serving time in a federal prison.
Freedom to do something does not mean that there will be no consequences to doing that thing.
Interpol isnt what you think it is: there are no Interpol agents out there carrying guns, breaking down doors, and arresting suspects, nor does it operate in every country of the world. Nevertheless, depending upon the country he travels to, around 70% of the world, he would be detained. However, as the holder of a shiny new Russian passport there are quite a few destinations he could travel to with no problems.
Well, OK, in my books you can get a medal for naivety. Obviously it's your speculation against mine, but I speculate he's sort of a "soft hostage" of Putin's, because Putin could give him up to the US government to trade for something worthwhile. And if Snowden's not always being monitored by FSB/police, then the Putin regime really is incompetent.
Putin would love Snowden to get on a plane, land on US soil and be met with the full SWAT squad and cuffed face down on the tarmac infront of the worlds media. They could even have the helicopters following the car down the motorway; cue logo, theme tune and hours back in America clock for the 24 hour rolling news coverage. We can then have a sham show trial and be sentenced to 1000 years or the death penalty for treason.
Every document being dragged through the courts, or even better a super secret trial would be one of the biggest propaganda wins for the anti-US part of the world, including but not limited to Russia, in the entire history of mankind.
The US doesn't want Snowden back, the whole saga is long forgotten and rehashing it is nothing but bad news. No President with a brain wants the problem, Snowden is literally a third rail, instant death to America.
I expect Snowden is well looked after by the FSB and kept safe, but not too comfortable in Russia.
Every single US president since Obama have been clear they want both Snowden and Assange to be back to the US. They have done a lot of efforts over the years to get them back to their territory. They absolutely seem to care about it, way more than the PR backlash.
They absolutely seem to care about it yet all they have to do is guarantee to uphold the law of the land and give a fair trial. Its really not a very big ask, if the position today is the result of lots of effort they are not sending their best people to put in the work.
[0] https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-what-edward-snowde...
That's not true is it? I thought the state department cancelled his passport?
Otherwise, he has to keep his trap shut or face being sent to Siberia.
Putin isn't tolerating anything at the moment.
Read his wikipedia page if you want a discography
the original state and its allies blanket the globe, the original state operates in a system of flawed checks and balances while simultaneously promoting the public interest
the "enemy state" is competition that allows for things to reach the public interest of the original state but only from within enemy state. it operates under a different system which was not being compared at all and cannot be compared while relying on its border, these are the limitations on this globe.