That's according to Snowden. But I've had trouble taking him at face value. Snowden worked as a computer security specialist at the CIA station in Geneva, Switzerland in 2007 under diplomatic cover. As a member of the diplomatic community it's possible he came in contact with Russian embassy personnel. He could have been recruited then eventually steered to the NSA where he apparently amassed a library of damaging documents. Snowden surfaced and made his first revelations just days before Obama was supposed to confront China about its hacking of U.S. defense secrets and technology.
I know I tend toward conspiracy theories but in Vladimir Putin's one-sided, diplomatic slap fight with Obama Snowden is a valuable tool who appeared in a timely fashion. So I wonder if Snowden is for real or if he has been a Russian agent for the last six years.