It's interesting how these supposed ties to Russia conveniently popped up only after he was stranded there only because the US canceled his passport.
I remember all the claims of "he was hiding in the Russian consulate in Hong
Kong" and "he celebrated his birthday with the Russian ambassador", with zero basis to confirm these until, surprise surprise, it turns out he was relying on a completely different network while there.
Just basic and unsubtle character assassination, really.
Who say's he "stranded" in Russia? It may have been Snowden's plan all along.
And he didn't have any importance to the world at all, before he fled to Hongkong and Russia. How should "ties to Russia" emerge before? Wouldn't it be more reasonable, if those ties existed, to hide them?
Sorry, I know a lot of people don't like hearing it, but Snowden having been recruited by Russia before his defection is just as plausible as him having pure democratic motives and seeking the help of China and Russia.
There is absolutely zero reliable information on Snowden's motives.
If he were working for Russia, wouldn't it be more plausible to give them the secrets (just "forget" your USB stick in a cafe in Honolulu, which Ms. St. Petersburg sitting next to you will find...), and at the threat of discovery, go underground, and let himself be smuggled into Russia?
Why go to the trouble of trying to contact Greenwald, and Poitras. He tried to get Greenwald to set up mail encryption, it failed, Glenn ignored him for a few months until he managed to reach him through Poitras. A man who's sold state secrets and afraid the Men in Black are about to come would not wait that long.
But anyway, you deal in absolutes "There is absolutely zero reliable information on Snowden's motives.", so you probably know best.
You keep repeating "defection to Russia" but it's a well known and officially confirmed fact that US Justice Department revoked his passport during his attempt to fly from Hong Kong to Ecuador (connecting Via Moscow > Cuba > Venezuela). He landed in Moscow with invalid passport, unable to board the next plane.
Literally, the reason he is in Russia is because US government waned him there. Either because they calculated that might discredit him, or to point fingers to Russia, or sheer incompetence, or whatever other reason or reasons. But the fact is, Snowden is in Russia because the US government put him there.
Well, ultimately, even in your interpretation, he ended up in Russia and cooperating there. Even to the point of playing a complacent part in Putin's staged "ask me anything" spectacle on television.
You keep assuming he bought tickets to Cuba and Venezuela intending to use them. It might have been his plan all along to stay in Russia. It's funny how some people think Snowden is somehow a saint who can't possibly lie.
I passed no moral judgment. He certainly can lie, he's a human. But that's quite irrelevant. Evidence suggests he was trying to get to Ecuador.
Ricardo Patino, the foreign minister of Ecuador, confirmed they received a request from Snowden for political asylum. The plane of Bolivian president, flying from Moscow, was grounded in Austria on the on the suspicion of Snowden being on board. The plane was first denied access to airspace of Spain, France, and Italy. Spanish foreign minister Jose Garcia-Margallo, stated publicly on TV that they were told Snowden was on board.
Snowden didn't revoke his passport. He also didn't made three countries close their airspace and land the plane of Bolivian president in the fourth country. There's only one address with power to do that.
US government believed he was trying to get out of Russia enough to ask 3 countries to close their airspace and ground the Bolivian president's plane to search it. But hey, feel free to keep living in denial.
The US government "believing something enough" to take a small chance is no evidence it is true or that it had been Snowden's intention to be on such a plane.
All the arguments I've heard so far against the possibility of Snowden having been recruited before the affair assume Snowden is telling the truth. Which is not sufficient in my view.
If they didn't, and he stumbled "by accident" into Russia, they don't need to "break" him at all, having all the leverage they could possible want.