Snowden defends his NSA leaks

MOSCOW - Former employee of the US National Security Agency Edward Snowden has asked to extend refugee status in Russia, his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said Wednesday.

"There is a procedure stipulated by the Russian law. We have gone through the procedure of getting temporary asylum, which ends on July 31. We have submitted documents to extend his stay in Russia," Kucherena told reporters.

The attorney declined to specify what status Snowden is seeking this time, saying it is up to the Federal Migration Service (FMS) to decide.

Kucherena said the request was submitted to a Moscow bureau of the FMS, since the initial permission was issued by the same office.

Snowden said in June that he had requested asylum from the Brazilian government, and he would be happy to live in Brazil if the government approves his request.

The Brazilian Foreign Ministry, however, denied receiving his request for asylum.

Snowden faces three felony charges in the United States after he unveiled the country's highly classified intelligence project codenamed PRISM.

He fled to Russia in June 2013, only to find his passport revoked by Washington and was trapped in a Moscow airport transit area for over a month before receiving a one-year asylum.