I'm not sure what is being referenced either but perhaps it's not self-preservation from Russia but from China, e.g. the fact that Snowden leaked to the South C

I'm not sure what is being referenced either but perhaps it's not self-preservation from Russia but from China, e.g. the fact that Snowden leaked to the South China Morning Post (while in Hong Kong?) the documentary evidence that the US was spying on them (http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1266777/exclusive-snowden-safe-hong-kong-more-us-cyberspying-details-revealed http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1266777/exclusive...) ?