Ukraine Self-rule referendums a farce

Ukraine has condemned two unofficial referendums organised by pro-Russia groups in the east of the country as "a farce" with no legal basis.

Separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions say 89% and 96% respectively voted in favour of "self-rule".
BBC reporters at polling stations on Sunday witnessed few checks on identity and multiple voting in places.
Russia has called for the results to be implemented without any further outbreaks of violence.
 In a brief statement, the Kremlin described the referendums as "the will of the people" and noted the "high turnout".

The Kremlin denounced what it claimed had been "attempts to disrupt the votes, with the use of force, including the use of heavy weapons, against civilians", reports the BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow.

The Russian authorities said they expected the results of the vote to be implemented in a civilised manner, without any repetition of violence and called for dialogue between Kiev, Donetsk and Luhansk.

The Kremlin suggested that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) could help organise such a dialogue.

Later #Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, said there were no plans to hold fresh international talks on the crisis - he accused the West of an "information blockade" over events in Ukraine and of "shameless lies".

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is to travel to Kiev on Tuesday to promote "dialogue".
We have to be prepared for what to do if someone prevents the elections on 25 May. It that is going to happen... then we have to think about further sanctions," he said.

Earlier, Ukraine's interim President Oleksandr Turchynov told Ukraine's parliament that "the farce that terrorist separatists call a #referendum is nothing more than propaganda to cover up murders, kidnappings, violence and other serious crimes".

The EU and US also said the polls were illegal. Going into a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, UK Foreign Minister William Hague said the European Union might impose further sanctions on #Russia should Moscow disrupt the Ukrainian presidential election on 25 May.

A number of towns in the two eastern regions refused to hold the referendums.

They were held despite an earlier call for a delay by Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to create the conditions necessary for dialogue.
Source: BBC News