Crimea votes to join Russia in a vote unrecognized by the West
22:49
The authorities of Crimea have announced that they plan to officially ask for the peninsula to be included in the Russian Federation today. According to exit polls published late yesterday, nearly 97 percent have voted in favor of such a move.
Some 1.5 million voters were eligible to participate in the referendum, according to the prime minister of the region. Crimean Tatars, the majority of whom are in favor of staying within the boundaries of Ukraine, announced a boycott of the vote.
Ukraine does not recognize either the referendum or the new authorities of Crimea. Moves towards integration with Russia and Russian military presence on the peninsula have been also condemned by the West.
The White House has said that the international community “will not recognize the results of a poll administered under threats of violence and intimidation from a Russian military intervention.” Officials from European Union member states have also spoken against the action. Poland's Foreign Affairs Minister Radosław Sikorski has suggested that Russia could face sanctions starting from Monday.
