60 expelled diplomats pack up and leave US Embassy in Moscow
(Baonghean.vn) - On April 5, an AFP reporter at the scene reported that the first group of 60 US diplomats, who were expelled from Russia due to tensions related to the poisoning of former spy Skripal, left the US Embassy in Moscow early that morning.
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| US Embassy in Moscow. Photo: Reuters |
Dozens of US diplomats and their families left the embassy compound on three buses and a minibus headed toward the airport at 6:30 a.m. local time, after Moscow set an April 5 deadline for diplomats to leave the country.
There was a long line of vehicles entering and leaving the embassy area before departure, many of them carrying the belongings and pets of the expelled diplomats.
Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping centre in Salisbury, England on March 4.
British officials have accused Russia of involvement in the attack and of using the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. However, Moscow has so far denied all accusations and asked London to provide evidence, including samples of the suspected poison.
Relations between Russia and the West have now hit a record low. More than 150 Russian diplomats have been ordered to leave the US, EU member states, NATO and many other countries.
At the end of March, Moscow decided to expel 60 US diplomats and close the US consulate in St Petersburg./.
