MOSCOW, July 9 (RAPSI) - Former NSA analyst Edward Snowden has filed a petition to extend his stay in Russia, which expires on July 31, his attorney Anatoly Kucherena told the press on Wednesday.

Edward Snowden, a computer specialist and former contractor for the US National Security Agency, was the focus of international attention in the summer of 2013 after he leaked classified evidence of US government surveillance programs to the media.

On June 14, 2013 US authorities charged Snowden under three articles, each of them stipulating punishment of up to 10 years in prison. Two of the charges were brought under the 1917 Espionage Act.

Having initially fled to Hong Kong, he arrived in Moscow on June 23. On August 1, after an extended stay at a Moscow airport, he was granted temporary asylum and is now living at an undisclosed location in Russia.

The attorney did not comment on the possibility of Snowden applying for Russian citizenship.