Edward Snowden's secret but 'not completely free' life in Russia

On very rare occasions, almost always at night, Edward Snowden leaves his secret guarded residence, somewhere in Russia. He is always under close protection. He spends his days learning Russian and reading. He recently finished Crime and Punishment.

Accompanying him is Sarah Harrison, a British activist working with WikiLeaks. With far less attention, she appears to have found herself trapped in the same furtive limbo of temporary asylum that the Russian government granted Snowden three months ago: safe from prosecution, perhaps, but far from living freely, or at least openly.

Journalist Andrei Soldatov said the domestic security service clearly controlled the circumstances of Snowden's life now, even if not directly controlling him.

"He's actually surrounded by these people," said Soldatov.

Hints of his life nonetheless flitter in and out of the public eye. On Thursday, his lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, said Snowden had agreed to take a job with one of the country's major internet companies, beginning yesterday.

Snowden is calling for international help to persuade the US to drop the charges against him, according to a letter that a German lawmaker released yesterday after meeting the American in Moscow. Snowden said he would like to testify before the US Congress about National Security Agency surveillance, and may be willing to help German officials investigate alleged US spying in Germany too, Hans-Christian Stroebele, a lawmaker with Germany's opposition Greens, told a press conference.