Snowden to Give Speech at Russian Marathon New Knowledge

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden will take part in the Russian II Marathon New Knowledge on 2 September, the organiser has told Sputnik.

The enlightenment marathon is planned to run from Wednesday until Friday in the cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Nizhny Novgorod, Vladivostok, and in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan. The event is being organised by the Russian association Znaniye.

"These three days we will be holding a big Marathon New Knowledge, which started with a lecture by Russian President Vladimir Putin... Tomorrow, a speech by Snowden is planned, and he is going to give some answers for the Znaniye association. Taking into account how much he dislikes to do interviews - he is [still] doing it for the Znaniye association", the organisation's spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Russian ministers, heads of corporations, and other prominent people will also deliver speeches at the marathon.

Snowden fled the United States to Hong Kong and then to Russia where he spent more than a month stranded at a Moscow airport while the United States was trying to have him handed over to face a criminal trial on charges of spying. He was granted asylum in Russia and received a three-year residence permit in the summer of 2014, which was extended and eventually replaced by a permanent one. Snowden's Russian lawyer said last November that the 37-year-old wanted to obtain Russian citizenship.