In slight defense of this, Russia was not Snowden's chosen destination. I believe his intent was to travel to Ecuador for asylum. As no direct flight to South A

In slight defense of this, Russia was not Snowden's chosen destination. I believe his intent was to travel to Ecuador for asylum. As no direct flight to South America was available, he tried to travel through Moscow on account of no extradition, thinking it would be the safest layover. Things fell apart before the connecting flight, leaving him stuck there. However I do agree that becoming stuck in an abusive state certainly raises questions over allegiances, and to maintain full credibility, whistleblowers certainly need to avoid the appearance of defection or the apparent hypocrisy of gaining protection from even worse governments. Any future whistleblowers highly sought-after by USGOV will certainly taken note of this.