This is the most intelligent thread I've read about Snowden.
Snowden is free to leave the Transit Area now and enter Russia.
Сноуден получил справку ФМС о разрешении пребывания в
Snowden received a certificate of FMS to be accepted in Russia - source - the Russian newspaper

My opinions: Snowden is very dedicated to politics and that's cool. PRISM did violate the 4th amendment of our Constitution. But it's a useful program.
Since we have the technology to spy on everybody then that's what is happening. And if somebody stopped it, then it could still happen again. So there is really no way to stop it.
Snowden should be very happy that Russia accepted him. It does not help Russia for him to be there but Russia is strong and they are willing to let him stay.
Btw, President Putin is not weak. He is a great man and it's President Obama who looks weak.

About other issues I read in this thread:
America is called the strongest and richest nation on Earth. Does that make it the best? A person can stay home all day and play video games, watch movies, swim, eat, study, and play tennis. But do we need that much?
The "best" nation on Earth is the one they are happy living in and that's not always the one they were born in. So I wonder if Snowden was really happy living in America. There are lots of reasons not to be.
I live in a safe place but I've read about all the crime, race riots, flash mobs, and other things in the news. I've even been to some of the cities and the people there are scary!
When I see some of the worse pictures of Russia, they still look better than the worse pictures of America. Maybe Snowden saw the same pictures.
America is not the best country and Americans are not the best people.
Well, no country is perfect and every country has problems so the only thing that really matters is if somebody is happy living there. And I think Snowden wants a perfection that doesn't exist.
But Russia is an awesome country and I hope he will be happy there. I know I would!