Having a friendly political party to project their views in the Scottish media must be nice for Russia. However, it is time for Scots to consider that Russia’s interest in our wee nation may go beyond run-of-the-mill political meddling.
Scotland matters for the security of the United Kingdom and its allies. It faces the North Atlantic and the GIUK gap, a naval choke-point between Greenland, Iceland and the UK. Both are of geostrategic interest to Russia.
The UK’s nuclear deterrent – colloquially known as Trident – operates from two adjacent bases on Scotland’s west coast: HM Naval Base Clyde (Faslane), where the submarines are based; and RN Armaments Depot Coulport, where the missiles are loaded and unloaded.
Mr Salmond insisted that his production company had “total editorial control” over the show, so it must have been a coincidence that he and his Alba colleagues have been parroting Vladimir Putin’s talking points.
Even as almost 200,000 Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s border, the Alba MP Neil Hanvey accused the UK and US of “hyping” the possibility of a Russian invasion
When Putin recognised the independence of Ukrainian regions held by pro-Russian rebels, Donetsk and Luhansk, two days before the invasion, Alba condemned the violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, but also blamed Nato. Russian interests should, they argued, be kept in mind, since “assurances were offered in the 1990s about Nato expansion eastward which have not been kept”.
Want to see more SNP fails – Matters
