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NINETY per cent of voters in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region voted in favour of sovereignty in Sunday’s referendum, pro-Russian activists said yesterday.
Roman Lyagin, election chief of the self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic, said around 75 per cent of the Donetsk region’s three million eligible voters cast ballots and the vast majority backed self-rule.
A second referendum was held in the industrial Lugansk region and produced an even more impressive figure of 96 per cent in favour.
Encouraged by the overwhelming result, activist leader Denis Pushilin declared that independence was now inevitable and called for unity with Russia.
And Mr Lyagin said joining Russia “would probably be an appropriate step.”
There was no immediate response from the Kremlin, but it has previously suggested it would not immediately annex the two regions.
The coup government in Kiev immediately condemned the ballots as a sham and a violation of international law, but was unable to show any convincing evidence of coercion by pro-Russian activists.
From the other side, however, there was plenty.
Armed men identified as members of the Kiev-controlled national guard opened fire on a crowd outside the town hall in Krasnoarmeisk, just hours after they shut down the voting in the town in the afternoon.
Mr Pushilin confirmed that people were killed.
Even before the results were announced, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry called the twin referendums a “criminal farce.”
The US and other Western governments also said that they wouldn’t recognise the outcome of the polls.
The Kremlin said that the referendum had provided sufficient motive Kiev to engage in dialogue with the eastern regions.
Russia hoped that “the practical implementation of the referendums results will take place in a civilized way,” without violence.
However, Kiev made it clear that it had no intention of talking.
“The farce, which terrorists call the referendum, will have no legal consequences except the criminal responsibility for its organisers,” acting President Oleksandr Turchynov insisted.
