A Russian who tried to lure Scottish nationalists to Moscow has been formally linked to Vladimir Putin’s secret police. Now, in the most compelling evidence yet of direct Kremlin attempts to meddle in Scottish politics, Ionov has been accused by American prosecutors of working for the successor agency of the KGB. The Russian’s efforts to get members of the SNP and other pro-independence groups to Moscow ended in complete failure. At these conferences Ionov entered in to partnerships with some of the US separatist groups, including groups from Florida and California. Scots - outside very online fringes on both sides of the independence debate - appear to have proved unreceptive to Kremlin influence operations.

Source: The Herald August 14, 2022 06:07 UTC