The way the Obama admin has handled the Snowden situation, preventing him from getting asylum in Latin America, has been so frustrating.
Finally, a breakthrough that gives him a real chance to avoid a Manning-like fate.
Snowden has left the Moscow airport transit zone and entered Russia proper with one year asylum. Here is a pic of his new Russian id card with the one-year grant.
There's a more clear picture on the Guardian live feed (see below). It looks like a passport not an ID card.
From the Guardian live feed thanks to Lepanto's post below:
Anatoly Kucherena, Snowden's Russian lawyer, has said Snowden has left Sheremetyevo airport and has received asylum in Russia for one year.
Kucherena said he handed the asylum papers to Snowden today, and Snowden then left the airport, where he has been stuck since arriving from Hong Kong on 23 June.
The lawyer said Snowden's whereabouts would now be kept secret for security reasons.
More details from
Wikileaks after the fold ...
Wikileaks provides much more detail. A sample is below.
Today, Thursday 1st August at 15:50 MSK, Edward Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia. He left Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow with WikiLeaks staffer and legal advisor Sarah Harrison who has accompanied him during his 39 day stay in the transit zone and continues to do so. Ms Harrison has remained with Mr Snowden at all times to protect his safety and security, including during his exit from Hong Kong. They departed from the airport together in a taxi and are headed to a secure, confidential place.