Voting Opens in Sovereignty Referendum in Eastern Ukraine

#Voting in two regions of eastern Ukraine opened Sunday, as #pro-Russian separatists called for a split from the rest of the country.

The ballots seek approval to declare sovereign the so-called people's republics in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where armed pro-Russia insurgents have taken control of government buildings and clashed with Ukrainian military troops.

The #UnitedStates has called the referenda "illegal" and "an attempt to create further division and disorder."

"If these referenda go forward, they will violate international #law and the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The United States will not recognize the results of these illegal referenda," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

People visit a polling station to take part in a referendum on the status of the Donetsk region in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slaviansk, May 11, 2014.

The United States will continue supporting the #Ukrainian government's efforts to hold a presidential election on May 25, Psaki added.

Ukrainian leader Oleksander Turchinov warned the regions they would be stepping into the abyss if they voted for self-rule. The vote comes amid increasing violence in east #Ukraine.
Source: NBC News