A Moscow newspaper reported Monday that before former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden arrived in Moscow in June, he had spent several days in the Russian Consulate in Hong Kong, according to the Washington Post.
Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that Snowden, who leaked troves of secret NSA documents to the news media earlier this year, spent his 30th birthday at the Russian diplomatic post. According to the Post, the article quoted an unnamed Russian close to the Snowden case who said that Snowden arrived on his own and asked for help. A Western official offered a conflicting account to Kommersant, however, that Snowden had been invited to the consulate by Russia.
It’s unclear from the report when Snowden decided to seek Russian aid to leave Hong Kong.
According to the Post, Kommersant also cited unnamed Russian officials who said that Cubans bowed to U.S. pressure and decided to refuse Snowden entry, leaving him stranded in Moscow with his U.S. passport revoked.