The aptly-named Edward Snowden fell on Russia как снег на́ голову (like snow on our head, i.e. unexpectedly).
President Putin was preparing for his September G-20 meeting in St. Petersburg and a bilateral Moscow summit with his US counterpart, but instead of Обама – о́ба-на, Сноуден! (о́ба-на is a Russian междоме́тие, an interjection, used to express dismay or surprise).
Эдик (short for Edward) the разоблачи́тель (whistleblower) hunkered down at the Sheremetyevo airport transit zone after flights to Cuba and Ecuador fell through, turning a quick plane change into a prolonged diplomatic гимор (slang for геморро́й, hemorrhoid) for the Kremlin.
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