U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden has been offered a job with a large Russian internet company, his lawyer said on Thursday.
Snowden’s first day at work will be on Friday, and his task will be to maintain and develop one of Russia’s biggest Websites, Anatoly Kucherena told Russian news agencies.
Kucherena, a Kremlin-connected lawyer who has represented Snowden since the former intelligence contractor arrived in Russia in June, did not name the Website.
But Russian media named Snowden’s employer as Vkontakte, the country’s biggest social media Website.
Vkontakte founder Pavel Durov has reportedly made Snowden a job offer, and his company was the only Russian technology firm which did not deny that Snowden would work there, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
“Sadly I cannot comment on this news,’’ company spokesman Grigory Lobushkin told the agency.
Kucherena has said that Snowden needs to find work because he is running out of money.
Snowden, who is wanted by Washington on espionage charges, was given asylum for a year in Russia, on the condition that he stopped leaking U.S. intelligence information.
However, his previous leaks continue to embarrass the U.S., German media reported at the weekend that U.S. intelligence agencies have tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone since 2002, deepening a spying dispute with Berlin.
German lawmakers have suggested inviting Snowden to Germany, with legal guarantees that he would not be extradited, so that he could testify to parliament about the allegations.
Kucherena said Snowden would not answer any questions about the phone-tapping scandal.
“Snowden lives in Russia according to Russian laws and cannot leave the country because otherwise he would lose his (refugee) status,’’ Kucherena told Interfax.
