The snippet of the film by the award-winning director, released by Showtime on Thursday, shows Putin in the driving seat taking on the case of the former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor and CIA employee, who leaked classified information on the extent of the NSA’s surveillance to journalists, and is now wanted on espionage charges in the US.
“I think he [Snowden] shouldn’t have done it. If he didn’t like anything at his work, he should have simply resigned,” Putin said.
The Russian leader said that while he cannot personally justify the whistleblower’s methods, he believes Snowden was within his rights to take the decision.
“But since you are asking me whether it’s right or wrong, I think it’s wrong,” he said.