Edward Snowden asks for political asylum in Russia

Former CIA officer Edward Snowden has filed a petition for political asylum in Russia,  the attendant consul of the Russian Foreign Ministry's consular office at the airport "Sheremetyevo," Kim Shevchenko, says.

"Yesterday at 22:30, British citizen Sarah Harrison turned to in the Russian Foreign Ministry consular office at the airport Sheremetyevo; she introduced herself as a lawyer and confidant of the U.S. citizen Snowden. She conveyed the request to grant him political asylum in Russia," - says Shevchenko as quoted by "Interfax".

Previously, according to the newspaper "Los Angeles Times," Edward Snowden met with an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and handed him a petition for political asylum, addressed to the governments of 15 countries of the world.

"It was a desperate measure after Ecuador disavowed his request for asylum," reports the source of the Russian Foreign Ministry newspaper.  "In the petition, Snowden again claims that he is not a traitor, and explains his actions by the desire to raise world's awareness about the violations by the American special services not only the rights of American citizens, but also citizens of the European Union, including NATO allies."