Plane carrying expelled Russian diplomats leaves US Sunday Jan 01,2017

 

A plane carrying 35 Russian diplomats expelled from the United States over Moscow's alleged interference in the presidential election took off from Washington on Sunday Jan 01,2017

The expulsions were part of a package of sanctions ordered by President Barack Obama on Thursday in the final weeks of his administration.

"We can confirm that the 35 Russian diplomats declared persona non grata have, along with their family members, departed the United States," a State Department spokesman told

The diplomats, described as intelligence operatives based at the Russian embassy in Washington and the consulate in San Francisco, had been given 72 hours on Thursday Dec 29,2016 to leave the country