Edward Snowden is now faced with a problem of how to get out of the airport in Moscow. Since the US has cancelled his passport, and he does not have Russian visa, Snowden can neither buy new ticket nor leave the airport transfer zone.

Although he is geographically in Moscow, the transfer zone is not legally Russian territory. According to Russian law, the maximum time permitted to stay in the zone is 24 hours. This is not the first time that rule has been broken. One Indian citizen is reported to have been there for almost 10 years.