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| Ukraine: Crimea goes to the polls with landslide expected for union with Russia | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Voting is under way in Crimea's referendum, which is expected to deliver an overwhelming majority of votes for union with Russia but has been denounced internationally as illegitimate and illegal. | Voting is under way in Crimea's referendum, which is expected to deliver an overwhelming majority of votes for union with Russia but has been denounced internationally as illegitimate and illegal. |
| Voters on the Ukrainian peninsula have been given two options to choose from at the referendum, which has been organised in a matter of days. One calls for union with Russia, while the other offers increased autonomy within Ukraine. There is no option to retain the status quo. | Voters on the Ukrainian peninsula have been given two options to choose from at the referendum, which has been organised in a matter of days. One calls for union with Russia, while the other offers increased autonomy within Ukraine. There is no option to retain the status quo. |
| Russian state television was reporting a huge turnout for the referendum and claimed there were "no armed men" at the polling stations. | Russian state television was reporting a huge turnout for the referendum and claimed there were "no armed men" at the polling stations. |
| State news agency Interfax quoted an international observer, Enrique Ravello, as saying he had seen an "unprecedented turnout". "There's no coercion, pressure on people. The referendum is being held peacefully, freely and openly," said the Spanish nationalist MP. | State news agency Interfax quoted an international observer, Enrique Ravello, as saying he had seen an "unprecedented turnout". "There's no coercion, pressure on people. The referendum is being held peacefully, freely and openly," said the Spanish nationalist MP. |
| According to polling by German research group GfK, 70% of Crimeans who want to participate in the referendum plan to vote to join Russia, while 11% plan to vote to remain part of Ukraine. | According to polling by German research group GfK, 70% of Crimeans who want to participate in the referendum plan to vote to join Russia, while 11% plan to vote to remain part of Ukraine. |
| Crimean leaders have made no secret of the fact that they expect a landslide victory for joining Russia, and posters across the region call on voters to make the correct choice. Ethnic Russians make up a slight majority in Crimea, which was part of the Russian republic within the Soviet Union until 1954. But the minority populations of Tatars and Ukrainians are less enthusiastic about the vote and many Tatars have said they will boycott the poll. | Crimean leaders have made no secret of the fact that they expect a landslide victory for joining Russia, and posters across the region call on voters to make the correct choice. Ethnic Russians make up a slight majority in Crimea, which was part of the Russian republic within the Soviet Union until 1954. But the minority populations of Tatars and Ukrainians are less enthusiastic about the vote and many Tatars have said they will boycott the poll. |
| In Kiev, the Ukrainian parliament has called the vote illegitimate and voted to dissolve the Crimean parliament, a decision that has been ignored on the ground, where Russian troops and armed local "self-defence" units remain in control. | In Kiev, the Ukrainian parliament has called the vote illegitimate and voted to dissolve the Crimean parliament, a decision that has been ignored on the ground, where Russian troops and armed local "self-defence" units remain in control. |
| State television reported that Ukrainian military units were heading towards the Russian border, and 300 men in Lugansk had put up scrap metal barricades to prevent military vehicles from Kiev proceeding farther east. Residents outside of Donetsk were also said to have stopped a military cavalcade from passing. | State television reported that Ukrainian military units were heading towards the Russian border, and 300 men in Lugansk had put up scrap metal barricades to prevent military vehicles from Kiev proceeding farther east. Residents outside of Donetsk were also said to have stopped a military cavalcade from passing. |
| According to state news agency reports, more than a thousand people are at a pro-Russian rally in Donetsk – where a pro-Ukrainian protester was killed on Thursday – and a column of cars is driving around the city with signs reading "referendum". No competing pro-Ukrainian rally is planned. | According to state news agency reports, more than a thousand people are at a pro-Russian rally in Donetsk – where a pro-Ukrainian protester was killed on Thursday – and a column of cars is driving around the city with signs reading "referendum". No competing pro-Ukrainian rally is planned. |
| The Crimean referendum website was down on Sunday. Previously, organisers claimed the site had been subject to a DDoS hacker attack originating in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne in the US. | The Crimean referendum website was down on Sunday. Previously, organisers claimed the site had been subject to a DDoS hacker attack originating in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne in the US. |
| Saint Petersburg has closed down its main street for an automobile rally in support of the Crimean referendum organised by conservative parties. | Saint Petersburg has closed down its main street for an automobile rally in support of the Crimean referendum organised by conservative parties. |
| On Saturday, Moscow was the scene of huge competing rallies for and against Russian intervention in Ukraine. At least 10,000 people took part in an anti-intervention rally, at the end of which was read a resolution calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Crimea and the end of Russian interference in Ukraine's internal affairs. | On Saturday, Moscow was the scene of huge competing rallies for and against Russian intervention in Ukraine. At least 10,000 people took part in an anti-intervention rally, at the end of which was read a resolution calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Crimea and the end of Russian interference in Ukraine's internal affairs. |
| The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, initially said there was no chance that Russia would absorb Crimea, but the rhetoric in recent days has changed, and the de facto leader of the peninsula, Sergei Aksyonov, told the Guardian on Saturday that he had received "signals" from Moscow that Crimea's petition would be accepted. | The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, initially said there was no chance that Russia would absorb Crimea, but the rhetoric in recent days has changed, and the de facto leader of the peninsula, Sergei Aksyonov, told the Guardian on Saturday that he had received "signals" from Moscow that Crimea's petition would be accepted. |
| This week, the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said Russia "will respect the expression of the will of the Crimean people in the upcoming referendum". | This week, the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said Russia "will respect the expression of the will of the Crimean people in the upcoming referendum". |
| With the influx of Russian troops and the seizure of power by Aksyonov, who was previously a marginal figure in Crimean politics, many in the west regard events in Crimea as part of a carefully choreographed Russian plan. Aksyonov, however, insisted his rise was a response to a genuine threat from far-right Ukrainian nationalists in Kiev after the events that led to President Viktor Yanukovych being toppled last month. | With the influx of Russian troops and the seizure of power by Aksyonov, who was previously a marginal figure in Crimean politics, many in the west regard events in Crimea as part of a carefully choreographed Russian plan. Aksyonov, however, insisted his rise was a response to a genuine threat from far-right Ukrainian nationalists in Kiev after the events that led to President Viktor Yanukovych being toppled last month. |
| "The first thing they should have done was to have wide-ranging consultations and invite people from Russian-speaking regions to work together. Instead all we got was threats," he said. "We had no other option. Should we wait here for people to come here with arms?" | "The first thing they should have done was to have wide-ranging consultations and invite people from Russian-speaking regions to work together. Instead all we got was threats," he said. "We had no other option. Should we wait here for people to come here with arms?" |
| The situation in Crimea remains tense, with gangs of local militia patrolling the streets and Russian troops surrounding Ukrainian military installations in the region. Aksyonov on Saturday again repeated Moscow's line that the men were not Russian soldiers, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Late on Saturday night, about two dozen heavily armed men, possibly local Crimean special forces, entered the Hotel Moscow in Simferopol, where many foreign journalists are staying, and occupied several floors. Some claimed it was a training exercise while others said they were searching for an armed criminal. They departed without a shot being fired. | The situation in Crimea remains tense, with gangs of local militia patrolling the streets and Russian troops surrounding Ukrainian military installations in the region. Aksyonov on Saturday again repeated Moscow's line that the men were not Russian soldiers, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Late on Saturday night, about two dozen heavily armed men, possibly local Crimean special forces, entered the Hotel Moscow in Simferopol, where many foreign journalists are staying, and occupied several floors. Some claimed it was a training exercise while others said they were searching for an armed criminal. They departed without a shot being fired. |
| No major international organisations are monitoring the vote, but a group of observers from 23 countries – a mixture of anti-western ideologues and European far-right politicians – have arrived of their own accord and gave a press conference in Simferopol on Saturday evening. | No major international organisations are monitoring the vote, but a group of observers from 23 countries – a mixture of anti-western ideologues and European far-right politicians – have arrived of their own accord and gave a press conference in Simferopol on Saturday evening. |
| Belá Kovács, an MEP from the far-right Hungarian party Jobbik, said everything he had seen on Saturday conformed to international standards and he expected the vote to be free and fair. | Belá Kovács, an MEP from the far-right Hungarian party Jobbik, said everything he had seen on Saturday conformed to international standards and he expected the vote to be free and fair. |
| Many of the observers railed against the west and said that by recognising Kosovo, the west had opened a Pandora's box and had to accept the result in Crimea. | Many of the observers railed against the west and said that by recognising Kosovo, the west had opened a Pandora's box and had to accept the result in Crimea. |
| "What is sauce for Kosovo's goose is certainly sauce for Crimea's gander," said Serbian-American writer Serge Trifkovic. When asked if observers had been paid to attend, he said that if he were looking for money he would have approached the CIA. The observers, he said, were "as poor as church mice". | "What is sauce for Kosovo's goose is certainly sauce for Crimea's gander," said Serbian-American writer Serge Trifkovic. When asked if observers had been paid to attend, he said that if he were looking for money he would have approached the CIA. The observers, he said, were "as poor as church mice". |
| Kovács said there were no British observers at the referendum. The BNP's Nick Griffin "really wanted to come, but we persuaded him not to", he said. | Kovács said there were no British observers at the referendum. The BNP's Nick Griffin "really wanted to come, but we persuaded him not to", he said. |
| The polls close at 8pm local time (6pm GMT), and the first results are expected two and a half hours later. | The polls close at 8pm local time (6pm GMT), and the first results are expected two and a half hours later. |