Streisand effect
Rest of the timeline…
Lavrov says Snowden isn't there, hasn't crossed into Russia. Same day Putin then says he's at the airport and free to leave (assumed to be for Ecuador).
Question is, what happened between Lavrov and Putin? Was this a concocted story that he WAS there? Reporters waited at the Ecuadorian flight, think Snowden was going to board. He never does.
Was the trickery that he never left HK?
Frequent flights between HKG to UIO.