MOSCOW - Russian state news agency says US leaker Edward Snowden has been granted a document that allows him to leave the transit zone of a Moscow airport and enter Russia.

Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Rusia last week after his attempts to leave the airport were thwarted. The United States wants him sent home to face prosecution for espionage.

Snowden is believed to have been staying at the airport transit zone since June 23, when he arrived on a flight from Hong Kong.

RIA Novosti quoted an unnamed official on Wednesday saying that Snowden has been issued with documents, allowing him to leave the transit zone at the Moscow Sheremetyevo airport.