I kind of shrug at Snowden these days. He is effectively stateless, so IDK Russia is basically the only place he can stay.
But I'm still quite annoyed he downplayed the risk of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has been radio silent on the subject since. And on the day of Putin's mobilization order he emerged from his silence to compare Biden's Philadelphia speech to the Nazis. Whatever substance if any he provided is effectively neutered as he's at best a captive, at worst...
It's also hard to know what he actually believes. It's hard for me to know what I would be willing to say under threat of deportation and imprisonment.
But if we are going to add these qualifications when we disagree with him then I think we should ignore him when we like what he says.
So here's the thing. They will murder him. They will murder his wife. They will murder his infant son. I don't listen to anything he has to say, because I do not believe that he is in a place where he can speak his mind. I expect him to do the best he can for himself and his family, compromising himself as little as possible without endangering that end. That's all.
