Former KGB general: Snowden is cooperating

with Russian intelligence

Above: Russia's FSB is the successor to the old KGB.
Image Credit: Wikipedia
ich
ard Byrne Reilly-May 22, 2!"
For#er $ational Security A%ency contractor &d'ard
Sno'den (robably never envisioned that he)d so#eday be 'or*in% +or the Russian
+ederal security service, or FSB.
But accordin% to +or#er KGB Ma,or General Oleg Kalugin, he is no', albeit as a
consultant or technical advisor.
-hese days, the Russians are very (leased 'ith the %i+ts &d'ard Sno'den has %iven
the#. .e)s busy doin% so#ethin%. .e is not ,ust idlin% his 'ay throu%h li+e./
-he FSB are no' his hosts, and they are ta*in% care o+ hi#,/ Kalu%in boldly clai#ed
in an intervie' 'ith 0entureBeat.
-he 1 year-old retired Soviet intelli%ence o++icer is Russian s(y royalty (ersoni+ied. At
2", he beca#e the youn%est KGB %eneral in history, and Kalu%in +a#ously hel(ed run
Soviet s(y o(erations in A#erica durin% a career that s(anned over three decades.
Kalu%in and his 'i+e relocated to Maryland a+ter +allin% out o+ +avor 'ith the Russian
re%i#e in the !33s. A+ter beco#in% a vocal critic o+ Russian (resident 0ladi#ir 4utin
5Kalu%in called 4utin a 'ar cri#inal +or his second invasion o+ 6hechnya7, a 'arrant
'as issued +or his arrest. .e)s been in the 8.S. ever since.
Kalu%in still has ,uice 'ithin Russian intelli%ence circles and #aintains contacts 'ith
+riends in Russia +ro# his days as a Soviet s(y. Kalu%in teaches at the Centre for
Counterintelligence and Security Studies and also sits on the advisory board +or
the 9nternational S(y Museu# in :ashin%ton, ;.6.
Above: Oleg Kalugin
Image Credit: Courtesy the International Spy Museum
Bac* in Russia, accordin% to Kalu%in, Sno'den is bein% handled by the FSB, the
KGB)s successor. Kalu%in clai#s that Sno'den has shared #uch o+ his vast trove o+
secrets about the $SA 'ith his Russian hosts, and in the (rocess, has alle%edly
handed the FSB one o+ their bi%%est intelli%ence hauls and (ro(a%anda cou(s since
the end o+ the 6old :ar.
-his clai# echoes early 'arnin%s +ro# con%ress#an Michael McCaul, senator
;ianne Feinstein, lieutenant %eneral Michael lynn, and con%ress#an Mike !ogers,
yet no concrete evidence (roves that such an e<chan%e too* (lace. Sno'den
has consistently denied clai#s that he too* security docu#ents 'ith hi# to Russia.
:hatever he had access to in his +or#er days at $SA, 9 believe he shared all o+ it
'ith the Russians, and they are very %rate+ul,/ Kalu%in clai#s.
9t has been over a year since Sno'den do'nloaded thousands o+ to( secret $SA
docu#ents +ro# his stint as a $SA contractor and traveled +irst to .on% Kon% +ro# his
ho#e in .a'aii. .e arrived in Mosco' Au%ust ! a+ter he +ailed to %ain asylu# in
2 other countries.
Sno'den)s lea*s revealed the $SA)s e++orts to turn acebook into a surveillance
machine, the a%ency)sclose ties "ith #oogle, and the the+t o+ (rivate user data
+ro# +ir#s li*e $ahoo and Apple. 9n the 'a*e o+ these revelations, #any o+ the tech
industry)s #ost (o'er+ul +ir#s have frantically adopted ne' security (rotocols at
un(recedented s(eeds.
Sno'den shared his haul 'ith security ,ournalist Glenn Green'ald and other #edia
outlets, li*e the :ashin%ton 4ost and Ger#any)s ;er S(ie%el, sheddin%
un(recedented li%ht on the (rodi%ious intelli%ence %atherin% (ro%ra#s o+ his +or#er
e#(loyer and sendin% shoc*'aves around the 'orld.
Green'ald, 'ho lives in Bra=il but is currently travelin% in the 8.S., did not return
e#ails +or co##ent.
-he Sno'den debacle ha((ened on the 'atch o+ Ar#y %eneral and +or#er $SA
;irector Keith Ale<ander, 'ho retired +ro# the a%ency last year a+ter runnin% it +or
ei%ht years. Ale<ander declined co##ent +or this article.
A s(o*es#an +or Ale<ander e<(lained in a (olite e#ail to 0entureBeat:
We appreciate that you have reached out to us. General
Alexander is focused now on building a new business and
not doing any interviews on Snowden or other subjects. So
for now we are going to pass.
-hese days, e<ile in Russia #eans Sno'den, 2, has lots o+ ti#e on his hands. A
source in Mosco' 'ith connections to Russian intelli%ence said the A#erican is
believed to be livin%, at least (art ti#e, in a dacha > #iles south o+ Mosco' in an
FSB retire#ent co##unity reserved +or +avored cadres.
.e has lots o+ +ree ti#e. .e doesn)t need to %o into the o++ice any#ore,/ Kalu%in said.
Sno'den)s location could not be inde(endently con+ir#ed.
:hile +ree to leave Russia, Kalu%in clai#s Sno'den)s 'hereabouts are #onitored by
his FSB handlers, 'ho alle%edly control his s(endin% bud%et and 'atch over 'ho# he
tal*s 'ith.
9n Kalu%in)s vie', Sno'den is %uilty o+ treason.
?+ course he is, by A#erican standards. Sno'den is a traitor,/ Kalu%in said. @:hen
so#eone chan%es sides and %oes over to the other side, it)s a victory,/ he said.
:hile Sno'den is a traitor to so#e A li*e %ill #ates A and a hero to others A li*e
A((le co+ounderSteve Wo&niak and 4enta%on 4a(ers lea*er 'aniel (llsberg,
+or#er $SA s(oo* Ada# Fuchs 'as #ore circu#s(ect 'hen it ca#e to callin% hi# a
Benedict Arnold.
Snowden was in a position where he really understood all of
the compliance requirements that were in place and all of
the restrictions that were in place, and yet he decided to go
outside the established channels.
Sno'den)s value to his Russian handlers has not totally run its course, clai#s Kalu%in,
and the FSB 'ill alle%edly use hi# as a technical consultant and advisor on to(ics that
interest the#. .is travel in the country also #ay be coordinated by the FSB, Kalu%in
said.
But the +or#er KGB %eneral believes that i+ he 'ants to, Sno'den 'ill have little
trouble inte%ratin% hi#sel+ into Russian culture and di%%in% in +or the lon% haul.
.e is not bein% le+t alone obviously. -he Russians are tryin% their best to be
hos(itable,/ Kalu%in said.
At this (oint,/ said Kalu%in, 'ho has 'ritten three boo*s on his 2" years in Soviet
intelli%ence, @the rece(tion in Russia +or hi# has been e<ce(tionally +riendly./
And 9)# sure that Sno'den is en,oyin% it./