SECRETS & ‘LIES’: An unnamed traveler relaxes in a hotel room inside Moscow’s airport, where Edward Snowden (right) is holed up. (Reuters)
WASHINGTON — It may not be the Ritz, but it’s better than a jail cell.
US spy-secrets leaker Edward Snowden is likely holed up in the Air Express Capsule Hotel in the transit zone at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport.
The rooms are small, ranging from an 80-square-foot single-bed economy room to a 236-square-foot First Class triple.
But the hotel is conveniently located in the airport transit area, which Russian President Vladimir Putin says puts it out of the reach of the law because travelers there have not yet passed through customs.
Behind a door decorated with a blue sky, Snowden would find a soft-lit room painted in soothing neutral gray and blue hues.
The hotel touts its accommodations as “modern rooms” that “look like modern liner cabins,” boasting private bathrooms, telephones, Internet and security systems — features that should appeal to the high-tech secrets thief on the run.
“The soft illumination [and] nice interior in light tones create sensation of ease and comfort,” according to the hotel.
The transit and departure zone itself consists mostly of a long corridor flanked by boarding gates and gleaming duty-free shops, hocking booze, luggage and souvenirs such as Vladimir Putin magnets for about $7 and Che Guevara shot glasses for $3.50.
About a dozen local and foreign restaurant chains cater to the crowds.
Some familiar fast-food restaurants include Burger King, Subway, Costa and Cinnabon.
The hotel, however, discourages eating in the rooms.