Russian diplomats expelled from US arrived in Moscow
January 2, 2017
The plane sent to Washington to carry the Russian diplomats who were expelled from the US returned to Moscow two hours into Monday. While still in the air, the diplomats were informed by the flight commander that their children were invited to come to the Kremlin New Year’s Party, the Russian presidential press service said Monday. On Thursday, White House declared 35 Russian diplomats persona non grata and ordered the closure of two Russian diplomatic compounds in the US, which serve as leisure facilities. The sanctions were imposed by US President Barack Obama’s administration as a response to alleged Russian hacking of US individuals and entities ahead of the US presidential elections.