Swinney backs action against Russia after Scots airports used during tanker operation

The north coast of Scotland has been described by one MP as a front line in the fight against Russia.

That description might feel unlikely – but when the US seized a Russian flagged tanker in the Atlantic, with the assistance of the UK, the battle for Ukraine was indeed brought pretty close to home.

Despite no prior knowledge of the mission – ministers at Holyrood say they heard about it from the media – the Scottish government is broadly supportive of the action.

The root of that support? Ministers’ steadfast backing for Ukraine.

The Defence Secretary John Healy said shadow fleets – which the tanker is understood to be part of – are “vital to Putin’s ongoing illegal invasion”.

It’s therefore unsurprising that the government in Edinburgh believes the seizure to be the right course of action.

While ministers may quibble with a lack of communication, no issue is taken with the use of Scottish airbases or airports – that, I’m told, is standard operating procedure.

In fact, as one senior SNP figure suggests, there is a view that the US and UK could go further, cracking down on many more shadow fleet vessels being used to flout sanctions.