East Ukrainians back independence: rebels
Pro-Russian rebels claim voters in eastern Ukraine have massively backed independence in a poll dubbed an illegal “farce” by Kyiv and the West.
A total of 89 per cent of voters backed self-rule in Donetsk province, one of two regions holding “referendums”, according to the insurgents’ self-styled electoral commission.
Ten per cent voted against, and turnout was 75 per cent, the commission’s chief, Roman Lyagin, told a news conference in the provincial hub of Donetsk.
“These can be considered the final results,” he said, less than two hours after polls closed.
There was no immediate word of results from Lugansk, the other province holding a similar referendum. But the vote there was expected to be similar to Donetsk’s.
The two regions are home to seven million of Ukraine’s 46 million people.
The West feared the disputed votes could hasten the break-up of the former Soviet Republic and lead to a civil war on Europe’s eastern edge.
Tension over Ukraine has pushed East-West relations to lows not seen since the end of the Cold War.
There is no way to independently verify the vote results.
Just before the announced figures, the rebel leader in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, told AFP the results would “create the first people’s government”.
“This is what we fought for, for the majority to decide the destiny of the region and we achieved that goal,” he said.
The referendums took place under tension in east Ukraine, where troops are waging an ongoing offensive against pro-Moscow gunmen.
Isolated violence flared in some towns. A freelance photographer working for AFP saw a gunman in a group of pro-Kyiv militants fire into a crowd of pro-Russian activists in the town of Krasnoarmiysk, badly wounding at least two.
A skirmish also occurred early in the day on the outskirts of the flashpoint town of Slavyansk, where rebels tried to grab back a TV tower.
Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, Slavyansk’s self-styled mayor, boasted while polling was underway that the rebels could go on to organise other polls, including on whether to become part of Russia. “And I can even give you the figures if you want,” he said.
Kyiv called the vote a “criminal farce” that had been “inspired, organised and financed by the Kremlin”.
Western nations backing the Ukrainian government also dismissed the “so-called referendums”.
They are “null and void”, French President Francois Hollande said.
The European Union called the vote “illegal” and said the outcome would not be recognised.
Britain’s Foreign Office echoed that and stressed that a nationwide presidential election meant to be held in two weeks would provide “all Ukrainians … a democratic choice”.
Britain also added its weight to a French and German warning of “consequences” against Russia if that May 25 election were scuppered.
The US and the European Union see Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hand in the unrest that has gripped eastern Ukraine since early April. They believe he is seeking a repeat of the scenario that led to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March.