Russia identifies 'North Korean'-style irregularities in Scottish independence vote

There may be hope yet for supporters of Scottish independence.

Thursday's referendum, which showed a strong majority voting to stay in Great Britain, did "not meet international standards," according to election observers. Indeed, members of the media expressed skepticism at the "North Korean"-style turnout level — a dubiously high 90 percent.

"Which way did the vote go, really?" one television host wondered.

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Unfortunately for advocates of an independent Scotland, all these skeptics were Russians with ties to the Kremlin. Russian state media and the so-called observers have been casting the vote into question, partly to needle the West for its criticism of a hastily called referendum in Crimea that gave Moscow's invasion of the peninsula a veneer of legitimacy.

And with that, the Russian Bear officially completes its metamorphosis into the world's biggest troll.