35 Russian diplomats left the US for Russia Saturday after President Barack Obama expelled them from the country in response to allegations that the Russian government was behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee.
The Kremlin sent a private plane to pick the diplomats up at Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia. The diplomats had had difficulties booking flights back to Moscow on such short notice.
On Friday, President Obama gave the diplomats 72 hours to leave the country.
The plane left Dulles International with 96 passengers, including the families of the diplomats.
Pundits remarked that the expulsion is another example of how Obama is engaging in a spurt of activities that will affect the incoming Trump administration, in contrast to the expected and customary behavior of lame-duck presidents.