On Sunday, Crimeans voted in a hastily organized referendum to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation, pending Moscow's approval. And while international observers have widely dismissed the vote as illegal, Russian officials have taken issue with that claim, drawing comparisons between Crimea's independence bid and similar Western ones.

RT, a Kremlin-funded news organization, helpfully compiled a list of "5 referendums that the West has not taken issue with," including those in Kosovo, Catalonia, and Scotland. And Russian authorities have also cited these precedents. "The decision [by Crimea's parliament] is fully in line with international practice. It is enough to look at Scotland and you can find other examples," claimed Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament. "No one says the Scotland referendum is illegal."

The British government isn't exactly thrilled about the comparison. In recent days, the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office has been posting an infographic on social media comparing Scotland's upcoming independence referendum with Crimea's secessionist bid, which London views as illegal and illegitimate:

Scottish commentators aren't buying the Crimea comparison, either. "Matviyenko is just one of several Russian politicians and commentators to talk up 'international rights of self-determination' all week as they try to equate Crimea with Scotland," wrote David Leask, a Herald Scotland reporter. "She may sniff hypocrisy. But she also—in my view—reeks of it. Her Federation Council late last year passed a new law banning 'separatist propaganda'. Its penalty? Prison."