Separatists claim landslide vote for independence in east Ukraine

DONETSK - Agence France-Presse

Ukrainians wave their hands and a leaflet reading 'Donetsk - hurray!' as they wait preparing to vote during a so-called referendum at a polling station in Moscow on May 11. AFP Photo

Pro-Russian rebels late May 11 claimed voters in eastern Ukraine massively backed independence in a disputed poll that Kiev and the West dismissed as an illegal "farce."

A total 89 percent of voters cast ballots in favour of self-rule in the Donetsk province, one of two regions holding "referendums," according to the insurgents' self-styled electoral commission.

Ten percent voted against, and turnout was 75 percent, 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 for independence there was expected to be similar to Donetsk's, or even exceed it.

The two regions are home to seven million people, out of Ukraine's total population of 46 million. The West feared these 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 was no way to independently verify the vote results. The rebels had prevented foreign media from observing ballot counting, and voting had taken place with no neutral monitors, incomplete electoral rolls, and a haphazard registration procedure that did nothing to prevent multiple voting.

But just before the announced figures, the rebel leader in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, gave an interview to AFP boasting that 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-Kiev 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 under way 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.

Kiev, though, reacted early on May 11, calling the vote a "criminal farce" that had no legal validity. It said the vote was "inspired, organised and financed by the Kremlin."

EU calls vote 'illegal'

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt also challenged it, writing on his official twitter feed: "Figures from fake referendums in Eastern Ukraine likely to be fake. No way of knowing even turnout."

Western nations backing the Ukrainian government also dismissed the "so-called referendums" during the day. They are "null and void," French President François Hollande said on a visit to Azerbaijan.

The European Union issued a statement calling the vote "illegal" and stating that the outcome would not be recognised. Its organisation "runs counter" to efforts "to de-escalate tensions," the office of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said.

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 United States 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.

Putin on May 7 called for the rebels to put off the independence vote but did little to allay the West's suspicions - especially when an assertion by the Russian leader that he had pulled troops back from the Ukrainian border could not be confirmed.

If Ukraine's presidential election is stymied, the West has warned of immediate sanctions to cripple broad sectors of Russia's economy.

"Russia continues to isolate itself for a short-term gain. They, the Russians, may feel that somehow they're winning. But the world is not about just short term," U.S. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told ABC television.

Anti-Kiev sentiment was riding high after a fierce firefight between troops and rebels that killed up to 21 people on May 9.

Coupled with deadly clashes and an inferno in Odessa a week earlier that killed 42 people, many Russian-speaking Ukrainians who had been wavering decided to vote their anger against the government. Others, though, were strongly opposed to the rebels and the referendums.

A poll released May 8 by the Pew Research Centre in the United States suggested 70 percent of Ukrainians in the east want to stay in a united country, while only 18 percent back secession.