A Russian plane flies to America to transport Russian diplomats accused of espionage
Russian authorities announced that a Russian plane was on its way to the United States on Saturday to transport diplomats expelled from Russia's mission to the United Nations and accused by Washington of "espionage."
The United States has closed its airspace to all Russian aircraft since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
But an Ilyushin Il-96 plane is expected to land at noon at Washington International Airport, according to the "FlightAware" website, which tracks all air movements.
"The US government has given the green light to this plane chartered by the Russian government to facilitate the departure of diplomats from the Russian mission" to the United Nations, a US State Department spokeswoman told AFP.
She pointed out that this "exception" aims to ensure that they and their families leave "on the specified date."
On Monday, the United States announced the expulsion of "12 intelligence agents in the Russian mission who abused" their diplomatic status in the United States in order to engage in "espionage activities", to leave the country before the seventh of March.
The Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Anatoly Antonov, condemned the "hostile approach" against his country.
The Russian mission to the United Nations includes about 100 people, according to a Russian diplomatic source.
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