Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden may be placed in a temporary accommodation center outside of Moscow if he is granted asylum in Russia.
There are no such centers located within the capital, Interfax reported.
Olga Kirillova, the head of the Federal Migration Service in Moscow, explained that Snowden's current home in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo airport is located in the Moscow region, so he filed an application to that regional subdivision of the FMS.
On July 16 Snowden filed a request for temporary asylum in Russia.
The U.S. has repeatedly demanded Snowden's return from Russia and granting him asylum would add new tensions to U.S.-Russian relations.
The 30 year old American leaked documents about a wide-ranging American surveillance program called PRISM and arrived at Moscow's airport from Hong Kong on June 23. News outlets last week believed that Snowden's lawyer was bringing him documents to leave the transit zone. However he only received new clothes and Russian books.
Snowden has been charged with three offenses in the U.S., including espionage, and could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
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