Expelled diplomats land back in Russia
A PLANE carrying Russian diplomats who were expelled from the US and their families has landed in Moscow.
Russian news agencies say the plane that landed yesterday at Vnukovo Airport was carrying diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Washington. A separate flight with diplomats and families from the New York consulate and Russia’s United Nations mission was expected later in the day.
The United States last week ordered 60 Russian diplomats to leave, part of a widespread expulsion of diplomats by Britain and some of its allies in connection with the poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter in Britain.
Britain alleges Russian involvement in the nerve agent poisoning. Moscow adamantly denies that and has ordered titfor-tat expulsions of Western diplomats.
An Irish diplomat has been ordered to leave Russia by April 9 as part of a mass expulsion of western officials.
It is understood the Irish ambassador to Russia, Adrian McDaid, was called to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday and the Tánaiste and Secretary General were informed of the development within minutes.
The diplomat will not be named as they are a private citizen who has done nothing wrong. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry asked the international agency that monitors chemical weapons for information yesterday about the investigation of the poisoning.
A list of questions submitted to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons includes what sort of assistance Britain requested from the watchdog agency and which sampling procedures were used to collect the substance that left Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, seriously ill.
OPCW representatives were among a group of experts Britain asked to analyse the chemical agent involved in the poisonings. Britain claims it was the Sovietmanufactured nerve agent Novichok and has said Russia is likely responsible, which Moscow adamantly denies.
The Russian Foreign Ministry’s request came on the same day that the Russian diplomats and their families returned to Moscow after being expelled from the US.
More than two dozen countries – including Ireland – and Nato have expelled Russian diplomats in support of Britain.
Russia has ordered an equal number of most of those countries’ diplomats to leave and for Britain to reduce the staff at its Moscow embassy to the same number that Russia maintains in London.