Kremlin media has renewed attacks newly elected French president Emmanuel Macron after he banned TV station RT and news agency Sputnik from his campaign

The Russian state propaganda machine had relentlessly promoted what it called the "glorióusly defeated" far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in this year's presidential elections.

Sputnik on Thursday reported claims that CIA had hacked Macron to stop rapprochment between Russia and France. Russian security services had been accused of the hack, which US figures argued was similar to cyberattacks on Hillary Clinton.

The row in France came as experts told Holyrood about the threat to Scotland from Putin propaganda, suggesting the Russian regime's media would flip its support on independence top back the union.

Moscow outlets and social media accounts have backed anti-EU or rightist candidates in Europe, including Ms Le Pen. Andy Wightman, the Green MSP who chairs the cross-party group on Russia, summed up evidence on Russian interest in Scotland and Brexit. He said: "The departure of the UK [from the EU] is a bigger deal that Scottish independence."

Sputnik said it had not been allowed to attend the open meeting hosted by Mr Wightman, which was conducted under Chatham House rules, meaning views were not attributed to individual experts. The agency said it had provided a balance to anti-independence bias in Scottish and UK media. Sputnik in France and elsewhere highlighted claims from pro-Scottish independence campaigner that it was no different to the BBC.