Russian Government Il-96 on Washington mission

THE RUSSIAN Government sent an Il-96-300 to Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia to recover 35 expelled diplomats and their families for return to Russia. RA-96019, from Rossiya Airlines’ Special Flight Squadron, arrived at Washington Dulles on December 31 to pick up the Russian diplomats who had been designated ‘persona non grata’ by outgoing President Barack Obama for their alleged interference in the presidential election. They were given 72 hours to leave the US. Nicholas Peterman