--- title: Edward Snowden Applies to Extend Asylum in Russia After NSA Leaks description: NSA leaker wants to stay in Russia another year canonical: https://time.com/2969406/edward-snowden-russia-nsa-leaks/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-07-09T13:10:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:05:37.497Z article:section: Politics og:title: Edward Snowden Applies to Extend Asylum in Russia After NSA Leaks og:description: NSA leaker wants to stay in Russia another year og:url: https://time.com/2969406/edward-snowden-russia-nsa-leaks/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb9595fe32942c0a5/69869b07d0b6f2261f30535e/edward-snowden.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden poses for a photo during an interview in an undisclosed location in December 2013 in Moscow. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Edward Snowden Applies to Extend Asylum in Russia After NSA Leaks twitter:description: NSA leaker wants to stay in Russia another year twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb9595fe32942c0a5/69869b07d0b6f2261f30535e/edward-snowden.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Snowden Asks Russia to Extend Asylum ## Video: Snowden Speaks: “There Are Some Things Worth Dying For” [Watch (HLS stream): Snowden Speaks: “There Are Some Things Worth Dying For”](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HEz0anrx.m3u8) (2:28)  _Published 2014-05-30. The man responsible for the largest security breach in U.S. history says he had no choice, and he did it for his country. Wednesday night’s broadcast on NBC marked the first interview by the now infamous NSA leaker with an American network._ by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jul 9, 2014 1:10 PM UTC  Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden in an undisclosed location in Moscow, December 2013. Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden in an undisclosed location in Moscow, December 2013.Barton Gellman—Getty Images by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jul 9, 2014 1:10 PM UTC Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has formally asked Russia to [extend](http://rt.com/news/169596-snowden-apply-extended-asylum/) his asylum there, according to Russian media, as he faces charges in the United States for leaking details of mass government surveillance. The Russian news service RT quoted a Snowden lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, in reporting that Snowden had requested another year of asylum, a move he had been expected to make. “We have submitted documents to prolong his stay in Russia,” Kucherena said Wednesday. Kucherena’s claim couldn’t be immediately confirmed. Kucherena, who has close ties to the Russian security services, has made claims to Russian media that have later been proven false in the past, including a report that Snowden had a job in Moscow and that he had a Russian girlfriend. Snowden arrived in Moscow on June 24, 2013 after a flight from Hong Kong, and was stranded in the airport for weeks with a voided passport before being granted asylum. That expires on July 31. The U.S. has been seeking Snowden’s extradition to face espionage charges, but Russia does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S. and has said it has no legal obligation to hand him over. Snowden became a household name last year when he leaked a treasure trove of files on the NSA’s surveillance activities both at home and around the world, sparking a fierce debate domestically and globally about the scope of American spying. 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