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The Russian A321 Airbus, thought to be Aeroflot flight SU2582, was reportedly searched by UK authorities after flying from Sheremetyevo in Moscow to London.

Officers allegedly boarded the flight "without grounds" shortly after it touched down at London Heathrow airport at 3.37pm local time on Friday.

Shortly after landing, police "insistently" asked passengers and crew to leave, but the pilots refused, according to multiple reports coming from Russia.

"After the passengers left the aircraft, unexpectedly policemen insistently demanded the crew to leave the plane in order to conduct an inspection there in the absence of the crew," a source told Russian news agency Interfax.

Scotland Yard has denied its officers carried out a search of the plane.

A spokeswoman told Daily Star Online: "I've spoken to our control room at London Heathrow and have confirmed that it is not our force."

The Foreign Office told the BBC that Border Force officals boarded the flight and Aeroflot was "willing to cooperate with UK authorities if explanation given".

(Image: TWITTER)

In a statement on Twitter, the Met Police posted: "We are aware of a story circulating on social media. Please be advised that Metropolitan Police are not conducting a search of an Airbus inbound from Moscow at Heathrow."

But an Aeroflot source has confirmed a plane was searched at Heathrow, Tom Parfitt, Moscow correspondent for The Times, tweeted.

Representatives from the Russian Embassy were reportedly sent to the scene.

A Russian official entered into "long negotiations" to "ensure the right of the captain to take part in the search".

Parfitt wrote: "Aeroflot confirms it has plane being inspected at Heathrow. Russian embassy in London says it is sending representatives to the scene. Russian foreign ministry says it is 'inadmissible, dangerous irresponsible' and cd be 'provocation' by UK to save reputation over Skripal affair."

The Russian Embassy in the UK has demanded an explanation for the "hostile" search.

(Image: GETTY)

British police "did not explain the reasons" why they were searching the plane and the crew, the source told Interfax.

When they insisted on inspecting the "entire crew", the pilots protested, saying it was "prohibited by the rules in force", the source added.

Piers Scholfield, foreign news producer for the BBC, tweeted: "FCO has said 'customs officers boarded a plane in London'."

BBC journalist Ben Tavener added: "UK #Russia plane search: UK Foreign Office confirms to the BBC that it was Customs inspecting the Aeroflot flight at Heathrow this afternoon. The airline says it is willing to cooperate with UK authorities if explanation given."

But a spokesperson for the Foreign Office referred Daily Star Online to the Home Office and said "we don't have any information on that".

Daily Star Online has contacted the Home Office for comment.

Moscow has called the incident "another provocation" amid simmering tensions over the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy.

Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said: “The British authorities asked the Russian crew, including the captain, to leave the plane.

"The commander of the aircraft proposed the inspection to be conducted in his presence as he’s forbidden from leaving the plane in accordance with the regulations.

"At the moment, the police proceed with the search without releasing the commander from the cabin and preventing him from being present during the inspection."

The extraordinary incident comes after ex-KGB agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia exposed to lethal chemicals in Salisbury on March 4.

Russia expled 59 diplomats from 23 countries on Friday as the standoff with the West over the Novichok attack worsens.

(Image: GETTY)

The Kremlin rejects Britain's accusation it was behind the attack, with Russian President Vladimir Putin personally branding the allegations "nonsense" and "drivel".

In a statement, the NHS said Yulia Skripal, 33, is getting better after spending three weeks in a critical condition due to the nerve toxin attack.

Her father, who handed Russian secrets to M16 and moved to the UK on a spy swap, remains in a critical but stable condition.

The BBC, citing sources, reported on Friday that Yulia was "conscious and talking".