Snowden seeks Russian asylum extension

Lawyer says 'documents' have been submitted

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has asked Russia to extend his temporary asylum for a further year.

The former National Security Agency contractor is applying to extend his leave to remain in ‪Russia‬ beyond 31 July, when his existing one-year permit runs out, according to his lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena. "We have submitted documents to prolong his stay in Russia,” Kucherena said RT reports.

During a recent interview with NBC, the rogue sysadmin admitted he had "never intended to end up in Russia".

Snowden confirmed he had intended to use Moscow purely as a stop-over en route from Hong Kong to Cuba but has been stuck in around the Russian capital since late June 2013. ®