Whistleblower Edward Snowden has secretly married the ‘love of his life’ while in exile in Russia – but doubts he will be able to leave the country for years.
The former CIA agent, who leaked highly sensitive documents to the press in 2013, announced he had married his partner Lindsay Mills two years ago.
But he accepts that his betrayal means he will be forced to remain in Russia for years to come and he is trying to build a future there, despite fears that he could still be the target of US retribution.
Whistleblower Edward Snowden announced he had married his partner Lindsay Mills two years ago
Snowden described Mills as the ‘love of his life’. He married her while in exile in Russia
The loved-up couple are seen in this Instagram photo
Snowden has become less fearful since his early days in Moscow and has dispensed with the disguises he used to wear. Living in a two-bedroom flat, he makes a living from speaking to students, civil rights activists and others via video link
‘I was very much a person the most powerful government in the world wanted to go away,’ he told The Guardian. ‘They did not care whether I went away to prison.
Snowden, 36, met Ms Mills (above) on the internet site Hot Or Not when he was 22 and had yet to embark on his whistleblowing activities
‘They did not care whether I went away into the ground. They just wanted me gone.’
Despite initially being terrified of Russia and calling it ‘the great fortress of the enemy’, he has since come to terms with his permanent exile, saying: ‘One of the things that is lost in all the problematic politics of the Russian government is the fact this is one of the most beautiful countries in the world.’
Snowden, 36, met Ms Mills on the internet site Hot Or Not when he was 22 and had yet to embark on his whistleblowing activities.
The site allowed members to rate other people’s profile pictures out of ten. Snowden gave her full marks. She gave him an eight.
He maintains he did not tell her of his plans to expose the details of a vast domestic spying programme involving the US and UK security services. Instead, she woke up one morning to find him gone.
When she turned up in Moscow, he expected a slap, he said. But Ms Mills told him she loved him and supported his actions.
Snowden has become less fearful since his early days in Moscow and has dispensed with the disguises he used to wear.
Living in a two-bedroom flat, he makes a living from speaking to students, civil rights activists and others via video link.
He reveals in his forthcoming memoir, Permanent Record, that he rarely goes out.
Snowden used tiny memory cards to sneak confidential files out of the National Security Agency.
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ShareHe stored information on an abandoned computer and recalls a heart-stopping moment where he found himself seconds away from being exposed.
Held up in a hallway by a supervisor, he was asked: ‘What are you doing with this machine?’ ‘I looked at him frankly,’ Snowden says.
‘And I said, ‘‘Stealing secrets.’’ ’ They both laughed and he was allowed on his way.
Snowden maintains he did not tell her of his plans to expose the details of a vast domestic spying programme involving the US and UK security services. Instead, she woke up one morning to find him gone
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