MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/. Former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden’s Russian residence permit will expire in April 2020 and paperwork is underway to extend it, Snowden’s Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said at an expert meeting dubbed "Business Risks and Opportunities in 2020" in Moscow on Friday.

"I hope that Russia will not extradite him to the US. I saw him just yesterday. His residence permit will expire in April 2020 and we are working to extend it for several years," the lawyer pointed out.

In 2013, Snowden leaked information on the methods of electronic surveillance by US intelligence services, including illegally wiretapping foreign leaders. Fleeing from prosecution, Snowden sent requests for asylum to some countries, including Russia. On August 1, 2014, he received a Russian residence permit valid for three years, which was later extended for another three years.

In the United States, Snowden is charged with two counts of violating the Espionage Act. He may face up to ten years in prison on each of the counts. The US authorities have repeatedly stated that they consider Snowden a traitor who caused grave damage to national security.