Former U.S. intelligence officer Edward Snowden, who has spent more than a month in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, has received temporary asylum in the Russian Federation for a period of one year, his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena informed RIA Novosti.
"I handed him a certificate of temporary asylum for one year", Kucherena said.
In turn, WikiLeaks, which is providing addistance to Snowden, said he was granted refugee status.
"Snowden has successfully obtained refugee status in Russia," according to WikiLeaks' Twitter Page.
Earlier, a representative of Sheremetyevo Airport told RIA Novosti that Snowden has already left airport grounds.