Ukraine Rebels Win Vote; Putin Urges Independence

Voters in eastern Ukraine have voted for independence after a recent poll in the European nation.

This vote was not official, and the government in Kiev is mocking the results. This poll was sponsored by rebels in the area, who claim turnout was high. Media outlets in the Ukraine are questioning the validity of the results.

Some pro-Russian media outlets in the Ukraine are welcoming the results as a sign of things to come.

Dmytro Korotkov, a journalist for Vesti, wrote, “If no compromise is reached soon, disintegration of the country will begin, along with large-scale civil conflict in the east.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin is urging other nations, including the United States, to observe voters’ wishes.

Since the invasion of Crimea by Russian forces, President Obama and Vladimir Putin have laid a series of sanctions on each other. France has announced it will not cancel military shipments of naval helicopter carriers to Russia.

Pro-Russian journalist Oles Buzyna wrote, “The Ukraine that we used to know is gone. But there is still a chance that it may become like Belgium, a union of two republics – east and west.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27376297

http://www.voanews.com/content/ukraines-turchynov-referendums-a-farce/

1912526.html

http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0512/616719-ukraine

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-12/russia-signals-respect-for-ukraine-s-

separatist-ballots.html

http://www.worldbulletin.net/world/136112/france-wont-cancel-warship-deal-with-

russia-updated