Several comments at the same comment level as this comment seem to take seriously the assertion that Snowden only incidentally ended up in Russia. In fact, his route from Hawaii to Hong Kong (a territory controlled by the central government of China) and then on to Russia looks very suspicious to readers who know what airline flights connected at that time of year from Hawaii to other places. Moreover, Snowden had contact with agents of the Russian government while he was still in Hong Kong[1], after he left his hotel there. From the beginning, as a person who has traveled to Hong Kong (and, for that matter, to Hawaii) before, I have been puzzled by his choice of air routes.
Maybe my reading comprehension is failing me, but where exactly does the article say Snowden had contact with agents of the Russian government while he was still in Hong Kong?
Hong Kong was a good choice. It does not extradite to US or many countries friendly with US and has a slow moving legal system that is relatively independent compared to other options that meet the first criteria. It gave him a relatively safe place and time.
[1] http://www.slate.com/blogs/business_insider/2013/11/01/edwar...