Independence Vote Held in Ukraine’s East

Voting began Sunday in referendums called by separatists in eastern Ukraine to split from the rest of the ex-Soviet republic.

The vote, carried out as two referendums in provinces where the activists hold more than a dozen towns, marks a serious deepening of the political crisis in Ukraine, which has pushed East-West relations to lows not seen since the end of the Cold War.

A “yes” vote would greatly undermine a presidential election Ukraine is to hold in two weeks.

The referendums come  as fighting continued in eastern Ukraine, with several explosions heard overnight in the flashpoint town of Slavyansk as the Kiev authorities has been for days launching deadly offensive against the separatists activists.

Polling stations opened in schools in rebel-held territory at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) and were to close 12 hours later, according to insurgent chiefs in the city of Donetsk.

The self-proclaimed mayor of Slavyansk, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, said he expected 100 percent turnout for Sunday’s vote.

After the results come in, “the Republic of Donetsk willbegin to function” and cultivate “friendly relations” with Russia, he added.

Kiev has already dismissed the vote as “illegitimate” and against the Ukrainian constitution.

However, like in Crimea — which Russia annexed in March after a similar referendum — it has been powerless to stop preparations.
Activists decided to go ahead with the vote despite a public request made Wednesday by Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone it.

For its part, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki considered the referendums as “illegal”.

The referendums are “illegal under Ukrainian law and are an attempt to create further division and disorder”, Psaki said in a statement late Saturday.

The votes “violate international law and the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” she stressed, adding that the United States would not recognize the result.

Earlier Saturday, France and Germany jointly threatened “consequences” on Russia if the presidential election is hindered — echoing US President Barack Obama’s warning of automatic sanctions that would slice into whole sectors of Russia’s weakening economy.

Interim Ukrainian president Oleksandr Turchynov warned that voting for independence would be a “step into the abyss” for these regions and lead to the “total destruction” of the economy there.

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