Russian media claims Scots back US '˜anti-Russia project'

Media outlets backed by the Kremlin have accused Scotland of backing 'America's anti-Russian project' after a news agency failed to secure a place at a Holyrood event discussing state propaganda.

Russian president Vladimir Putin's government has links to several state news agencies. Picture: AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko

Sputnik, a Russian agency which opened a bureau in Edinburgh last year, said it was unable to defend itself against claims by MSPs it was spreading disinformation with the backing of Vladimir Putin’s government.

The story was picked up by RIA Novosti, an agency with links to Sputnik, and published with the headline “Scotland joins the anti-Russian programme of the United States”.

Last week Holyrood’s cross-party group on Russia was told that media organisations working on behalf of the Kremlin were now expected “to support Scotland being in the UK”.

Russia’s change of heart is likely to have been motivated by its desire to weaken Western institutions such as the European Union, which has been dealt a serious blow by Brexit.

“During the independence referendum, Kremlin-funded media outlets promoted stories about a rigged referendum and have taken a close interest in Scottish nationalist politics ever since,” Andy Wightman, the Green MSP who hosted the meeting, told The Herald.

The opening of Sputnik’s Scottish bureau last summer prompted defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon to warn Scots to be wary of “Russian propaganda... and blatant untruths”.

A Sputnik spokesman told The Scotsman in November it was a pragmatic decision to base itself in Edinburgh.

“The Scottish capital has been chosen for two simple reasons: cost effectiveness and public interest in news stories that mainstream media tend to overlook,” he said.

“Instead of paying for overpriced office space in London, we have made the strategic decision to invest in journalism itself.

“This has enabled us to cultivate a vast network of journalists, working across the United Kingdom and abroad. This investment in people over bricks and mortar guarantees Sputnik readers and listeners immediate access to the latest in both international and local news.”