TEMPO.CO, Mariupol - Voting has opened in referendums called by pro-Russian rebels to split from the rest of Ukraine, polls the US slammed as 'illegal' as the West fears they could spark civil war in the former Soviet republic.
Today's ballots seek approval for declaring the so-called sovereign people's republics in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where pro-Russia insurgents have seized government buildings and clashed with the police and Ukrainian troops.
At least seven people died Friday in clashes in the city of Mariupol. The city remained on edge yesterday, with barricades of tires blocking some streets in the city centre.
The referendums are being conducted by the insurgent movements and are not regarded as legitimate by Kiev or the West.
'The United States will not recognize the results of these illegal referendums," State Department spokesman, Jen Psaki, said in a statement late yesterday, calling the votes "an attempt to create further division and disorder."
The elections chief of the insurgents in Donetsk, Roman Lyagin, was quoted by news agencies as saying voting in Mariupol and one other district had begun early because of rising tensions there. He did not elaborate.
Ukrainian President, Oleksandr Turchynov, in comments posted on the presidential website yesterday, said supporters of independence for the east "don't understand that this would be a complete destruction of the economy, social programs and general life for the majority of the population."
"This is a step into the abyss for the regions," added the president.
The hastily arranged referendums are similar to the March referendum in Crimea that approved secession from Ukraine. Crimea was formally annexed by Russia days later.
ANINGTIAS JATMIKA | AP