ONE of the leaders of the 2014 Yes campaign has said it is "not wise" for politicians on both sides of the constitutional divide and experts to "exploit" the war in Ukraine to make points about the independence debate

Dennis Canavan, the former Labour MSP and MP, criticised the defence analyst Dr Jonathan Eyal, who last week told The Herald that Vladmir Putin would be "delighted" if the vote took place next year.

Mr Eyal, associate director of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said it was his view that the Russian President would welcome a referendum in 2023 as it would distract the attention of the UK, a founding member of Nato, from foreign policy issues.

The RUSI expert gave his view in response to a claim by the SNP MSP Rona Mackay who said delaying indyref2 would be "grist to the Kremlin's mill" and allow Mr Putin to have a '"veto on Scottish democracy".

READ MORE: Ukraine: 'Indyref2 in 2023 would delight Putin' says war expert

But Mr Canavan, the former chair of Yes Scotland, the main organisation campaigning for a Yes vote in 2014, cautioned those supporting independence or those opposed to "exploit" the situation in Ukraine for their own arguments. He added that Mr Eyal was speculating.

"How on earth does Jonathan Eyal know that Putin would be "delighted" for Indyref2 to go ahead next year? Does he have a hot-line to the Putin mindset?

"Jonathan Eyal is indulging in idle speculation which is unworthy of an academic. We are heading into very dangerous territory if we allow the timing of a democratic referendum to be determined by what a deranged despot may or may not be thinking," he said.

"I do not think it would be wise for politicians to try to exploit the situation in Ukraine to further their own arguments for or against Scottish Independence. I have no doubt that there are Unionist politicians who may be tempted to use the horrific conflict in Ukraine as an excuse for postponing Indyref2."

READ MORE: SNP: Suspending independence vote over Ukraine would be 'grist to Kremlin's mill'

He added: "Other so-called experts are simply scare-mongering when they claim that a centralist dictator like Putin would be in favour of Scottish independence. Who do these "experts" think they are?

"Can they read Putin's sick mind? Do they know how long this catastrophic conflict is going to last? Do they want the killing to continue?"

"All politicians, of whatever complexion, should be using everything in their power to work, hope and pray for an early, peaceful solution.

"In the meantime, there is no reason why the First Minister should dilute her commitment to hold Indyref2 next year."

Mr Canavan was made chairman of the Yes Scotland advisory board in the run-up to the 2014 vote in an appointment which followed three decades of frontline politics.

On Thursday the First Minister was accused of making a "tasteless" link between the plight of Ukrainians fighting Russia's invasion and the campaign for Scottish independence.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon accused of making 'tasteless' link between war in Ukraine and Scottish independence

Tory shadow cabinet secretary for the constitution, external affairs and culture Donald Cameron said that Ms Sturgeon had used “wholly inappropriate” language in a New Statesman article published that day.

In the feature, the First Minister said that Putin’s war in Ukraine has “cast new light on the realities of Brexit and the particular challenges posed to Scotland and the rest of the UK by being taken out of the world’s biggest single market.”

She wrote: “Indeed, the events of recent weeks have underlined the importance of independent countries cooperating in supranational organisations such as the EU.

“And the Kremlin’s senseless invasion, a standing threat to the values embodied by liberal democracies everywhere, has also underscored the need for democratic nations to pursue our domestic politics with as much passion and vigour as ever. This is a time to stand up for, and demonstrate, the power of vital, robust democracies.”

The First Minister said her government “is pressing ahead with an agenda that aims to address these problems directly” but that “there is a limit to what we can accomplish while so many powers lie beyond our control.”

She wrote: “That is why we are determined to achieve independence for Scotland by offering the choice of a better, fairer future. This is in line with the democratic mandate we secured at last year’s Scottish parliament election, in which the SNP won the highest share of the vote of any party in the history of devolution and a record number of pro-independence MSPs were returned to Holyrood."

Earlier this month, SNP MSP Michelle Thomson was forced to apologise after linking Ukraine’s struggle for survival after a Russian invasion to Scotland seeking independence from the UK.

Michelle Thomson tweeted that Ukraine’s application for EU membership today “just goes to show what political will can achieve”, adding: “Remember this Scotland!” She later deleted the tweet and apologised.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson came in for sustained criticism from across Europe after comparing the resistance of the Ukrainian people to the UK’s decision to Brexit.

The SNP’s leader at Westminster, Ian Blackford, described the comparison as “morally repugnan