Jane Onyanga-Omara, and Gregory Korte

USA TODAY

Russian authorities have extended Edward Snowden’s residence permit by a “couple of years,” a government spokesperson said.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made the announcement in a Facebook post late Tuesday. The state-owned news agency TASS said his permit was extended until 2020.

Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor, is accused of violating the espionage act by leaking details of secret surveillance programs.

He has been living in Russia since 2013 after getting stuck at a Moscow airport after flying in from Hong Kong when the U.S. canceled his passport. He had planned to travel onward to Ecuador.

Snowden's lawyer in Russia, Anatoly Kucherena, said his client might apply for Russian citizenship.

"In the near future, he may formally file a request for Russian citizenship, but only he will decide this for himself," said Kucherena, according to TASS.

He said that under the Russian law, a person must live in the country for at least five years after receiving a residence permit in order to get citizenship.

Snowden initially obtained his residence permit in Aug. 2014, TASS reported.

Obama commutes sentence of Chelsea Manning in last-minute clemency push

The White House said Tuesday that President Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, the Army private serving a 35-year sentence for leaking classified military secrets to WikiLeaks.

Chelsea Manning's incredible journey from leaker to transgender crusader

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest seemed to take pains to differentiate Manning's case from that of Snowden last week.

"The situation of these two individuals is quite different," Earnest said. "I know that there's a temptation because the crimes were relatively similar, to lump the two cases together. But there are some important differences, including the scale of the crimes that were committed and the consequences of their crimes."

Obama granted 64 pardons and 209 commutations Tuesday, with less than four days left in his presidency.