East braces for secessionist vote
France and Germany yesterday warned Russia of "consequences" if Moscow continued to sow unrest ahead of Ukrainian elections later this month, on the eve of "illegal" referendums the West fears will split the country apart.
Ukrainian acting President Oleksander Turchinov told eastern regions gripped by a pro-Russian uprising that they would be courting catastrophe if they voted "yes" in today's separatist referendum.
The vote, organised on a largely ad hoc basis with no clear control of authenticity of ballot papers or voter lists, could have serious consequences for Ukraine and relations between Moscow and the West. It risks turning isolated clashes into civil war.
In a joint statement, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also urged Ukraine's security forces to stop their offensive on rebel-held positions ahead of the planned May 25 presidential election.
The warnings suggested the West might soon move to broaden its sanctions regime to include whole sections of the recession-bound Russian economy.
While the diplomatic pressure on Russia intensified, the situation on the ground remained combustible as the southern city of Mariupol observed a day of mourning for up to 21 people killed in clashes on Friday between Ukrainian authorities and pro-Russian separatists.
An AFP reporter in Mariupol said passions were running high as the rebels set alight a captured Ukrainian army armoured vehicle, causing the ammunition inside to explode.
Meanwhile, preparations were in full swing for the disputed referendums in the two eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, home to 7.3 million of Ukraine's total population of 46 million.
Merkel and Hollande dismissed the referendums as "illegal", amid Western fears it will hasten the break-up of Ukraine and could lead to all-out civil war on Europe's fringes.
Voters in today's referendums will first be asked if they support the creation of two independent republics that many see as a prelude to joining Russia, as happened in Crimea.
Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, the rebel mayor of the city of Slaviansk said he expected a 100 percent turnout. Immediately after the referendum, "the Republic of Donetsk will begin to function" and cultivate "friendly relations" with Russia, he added.
A poll released Thursday 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.
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