Russian diplomats and their families are preparing to leave the UK after being expelled over the Salisbury spy attack.

Removal vans and diplomatic cars have been arriving at the embassy in London.

The UK expelled 23 diplomats after Prime Minister Theresa May said Russia was "culpable" for the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

Later on Tuesday, the Government will decide whether to impose further sanctions on Russia.

Mrs May will chair a meeting of the National Security Council.

Moscow has denied all involvement, and is expelling 23 British diplomats in response.

According to the BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Robbins, the Russian Embassy said around 80 people - including Russian diplomats and their families - will leave London today.

It comes as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the UK must still deal with Russia despite "all fingers" pointing to it over the Salisbury spy attack.

He said he would "do business" with Vladimir Putin but assertively and on the basis of the UK's values.

Former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, remain critically ill in hospital after being found slumped on a bench on 4 March. They had been exposed to a nerve agent.

Meanwhile, the head of counter-terrorism policing in the UK, Met Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, said the focus of the Salisbury investigation is "on the movements of the Skripals". </s> LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Twenty three expelled Russian diplomats and their families flew out of London on an Ilyushin-96 plane on Tuesday.

The state-owned Russian plane, with “Rossiya” and the white, blue and red of Russia’s flag emblazoned on its side, made a special flight from Moscow to London’s Stansted airport to collect the diplomats.

Prime Minister Theresa May blamed Russia for this month’s attack on a Russian double-agent and his daughter - the first known offensive use of a nerve toxin in Europe since World War Two - and gave 23 Russians whom she said were spies working under diplomatic cover one week to leave London. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Stephen Addison) </s> More expelled diplomats arrive in Moscow as Williamson warns of 'new era of warfare'

More expelled diplomats arrive in Moscow as Williamson warns of 'new era of warfare'

Russian diplomats and their family members from the US arrived in Moscow on Sunday

The first plane carrying Russian diplomats expelled from the US has landed in Moscow as the Defence Secretary warned the world had "entered a new era of warfare".

Gavin Williamson said if there was ever any doubt over the threat posed by Moscow "we only have to look at events in Salisbury, where our Armed Forces, including the RAF, have been responding to a cold-blooded chemical attack".

The UK has expelled 23 Russian diplomats in the wake of the poisoning of Mr Skripal, 66, and his daughter. A number of other countries followed suit, including America, Canada, Australia and more than a dozen EU nations.

Image: A minibus allegedly transporting expelled Russian diplomats

Theresa May has said it is "highly likely" Russia was involved in the attack which targeted former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with Russian-made nerve agent group novichok.

Moscow has denied any involvement in the case, which has caused a standoff between Britain and Russia.

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Mr Williamson said the Kremlin's response has been to "unleash a tidal wave of smears, lies and mockery".

Image: A number of other countries have also expelled Russian diplomats

The Defence Secretary, writing in the Sunday Telegraph to mark 100 years since the formation of the Royal Air Force, highlighted the conflicts in countries such as Yemen, Syria and North Korea, saying the world was becoming a "darker, more dangerous place".

"Then there is President Putin," he said.

Image: Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in Salisbury

"He is using more hybrid capabilities to subvert, undermine, and influence countries around the world. We have entered a new era of warfare".

He added: "It's vital for UK defence to keep evolving to meet the threats of tomorrow to keep our country safe and protect the hard-earned freedoms and way of life we enjoy today."

Mr Williamson called the attack on British soil "illegal and contemptuous", saying it endangered innocent lives.

He had previously told Russia it should "go away and shut up".

Defence Secretary: 'Russia should shut up'

The poisoning on 4 March sparked a global diplomatic spat. More than 100 Russian diplomats have been expelled by Western countries, including 23 from Britain.

Russia had already retaliated in kind by ejecting 23 British diplomats, and the Russian embassy in London published a list of 14 questions over the case.

Mr Skripal and his daughter were found slumped on a bench after being poisoned.

VR reconstruction of Russia spy's movements

Shop owners in Salisbury have said they are struggling in the wake of the attack which happened a month ago, with business down 90%. </s> Russia has threatened to throw out British diplomats in response to Prime Minister Theresa May announcing the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats yesterday.

Russian news agency RIA report that Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, has said expulsions would come "very soon, I promise you that".

Mr Lavrov has accused the UK of "fanning anti-Russian rhetoric bordering on hysteria" to win support from its allies. </s> British diplomats, who had been declared personae non gratae by Russian authorities as a response to the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats from the UK, have left the Embassy in Moscow, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

The remaining embassy staff said goodbye to their departing colleagues with applause.

READ MORE: UK Diplomats Declared 'Persona Non Grata' by Russia to Leave This Week — Source

The UK has decided to banish Russian diplomats as part of anti-Russia sanctions which were declared by the UK Prime Minister Theresa May who explained her decision by accusing Moscow of poisoning the former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury. The Russian Foreign Ministry has denied all the allegations and demanded the UK Foreign Office permit a joint investigation into the case. It has announced that 23 UK diplomats would be expelled from Russia, while the operation of the British Council will be ceased in the country.

Russian Ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko has commented on the current situation, saying that Britain has not provided any proof of Russia's alleged involvement in the nerve agent attack.

He has suggested that the samples of the so-called Novichok nerve gas could have already been in the laboratory located just miles away from Salisbury.

The former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious in a shopping center in Salisbury on March 4. Both of them remain in critical condition. </s> More than 100 Russian diplomats now expelled </s> Russian diplomats expelled by the US after a nerve agent attack on a former spy, leave their embassy in Washington, D.C, March 31, 2018. Photo: ZACH GIBSON / AFP

WASHINGTON – Russian diplomats expelled by the US after a nerve agent attack on a former spy in Britain began to leave their embassy in Washington Saturday afternoon, waved off by well-wishers.

About 50 men, women and children left the hilltop embassy just after 1:00 pm (1700 GMT) in a blue bus believed to be headed towards Dulles International Airport.

A second bus was expected to leave about two hours later from the embassy site which has a view across to the White House, the Pentagon and other US government buildings.

The departing families brought with them bags and suitcases, some of which were loaded onto the bus with help from a small forklift vehicle.

Russia's ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, earlier told reporters "all the diplomats who were declared persona non grata are flying home together with their families" on Saturday.

In total, 171 people will leave the country, state news agency TASS reported Antonov as saying.

The Russian government provided two planes for the evacuation and one of them will make a brief stopover in New York to collect 14 families, he added.

Washington this week joined a score of Britain's allies in expelling Russian diplomats in response to the attack, with over 150 in total now ordered out of the US, EU members, NATO countries and other nations.

The US said it was expelling 60 alleged Russian "spies" posted around the country and at the Russian mission to the United Nations.

Russia's consulate in Seattle will also be closed.

Moscow responded on Thursday by announcing that it was expelling 60 US diplomats and closing Washington's consulate in Saint Petersburg.

On Friday, Russia expelled even more diplomats from 23 countries, most of them European Union member states.

The tit-for-tat measures were retaliation to the coordinated expulsion of Russian diplomats by Britain and its allies over a nerve agent attack against former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury on March 4.

Britain has said it is "highly likely" that Russia was responsible for the attack using the Novichok nerve agent developed in the former Soviet Union, but Russia has angrily denied any involvement. </s> MOSCOW: Moscow on Friday (Mar 30) issued tit-for-tat measures against countries that have expelled Russian diplomats in a mass show of support for Britain over the poisoning of a former double agent in England.

Russia announced the expulsion of diplomats from 23 countries, almost all of them European Union members, and told Britain to make unspecified "reductions" to its diplomatic staff.

Most of the ambassadors driven up to the front door of the Russian foreign ministry in flagged official cars on Friday came from EU countries.

Eighteen of the 28 EU countries have now expelled Russian diplomats and Moscow issued tit-for-tat measures against a majority of them.

The Netherlands was the first to announce that Russia was expelling two diplomats.

According to their officials and state broadcasters, Germany and Poland would be sending home four diplomats each, the Czech Republic and Lithuania three each, and Italy, Spain, Albania and Denmark would all have two expelled.

Latvia, Estonia, Croatia, Sweden, Romania, Ireland, Norway and Finland must each withdraw one diplomat. France was told it would have to send home four diplomats.

Ukraine was told 13 diplomats will have to leave, while Moldova had three expulsions confirmed.

Expulsions are expected for Canada, Australia and Macedonia after they were summoned to Russia's foreign ministry, but have not yet been confirmed.

Russia on Thursday separately announced it would expel 60 US diplomats and close the US consulate in Saint Petersburg.

Washington had earlier ordered 60 Russia diplomats to leave the country and shut down the Russian consulate general in Seattle.

Moscow has already expelled British diplomats but issued an additional punishment on Friday, saying London must cut its diplomatic presence within a month to the same as Russia has in the UK - without giving a number.

London has said that Moscow is "highly likely" behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with a Soviet-developed nerve agent in the English city of Salisbury on Mar 4.

Britain has expelled 23 Russian diplomats, suspended high-level diplomatic contacts and vowed not send royal family members to the football World Cup hosted by Russia this summer.

Russia had already retaliated by expelling 23 British diplomats, closing a UK consulate in Saint Petersburg and shutting down the British Council educational and cultural organisation.

Slovakia, Malta, Bulgaria, Portugal and Luxembourg recalled their ambassadors to Russia for consultations this week, in a temporary measure to show disapproval.

Russia said it reserves the right to respond to countries that have recently announced expulsions of Russian diplomats: Belgium, Hungary, Georgia and Montenegro. </s> Moscow will expel two Australian diplomats in retaliation for Canberra booting out two of its diplomats.

Australia's ambassador to Russia Peter Tesch was among the diplomats summoned to the Russian foreign ministry on Friday to be told of the expulsions.

The diplomatic mission in Moscow has 10 staff.

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had announced two Russian spies had been given six days to leave Australia, in a show of solidarity with the UK over the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury.

In total, Russia will expel 59 diplomats from 23 countries following on the expulsion of 23 British and 60 American diplomats earlier in the week.
All 23 Russian diplomats expelled from the UK and their families depart on a flight to Moscow.