Crimea referendum: live report

Crimea referendum: live report

21:21 GMT - RECAP - A quick summary of this evening's momentous events in Crimea:

- Crimeans have voted overwhelmingly to join former political master Russia as tensions soar in the east of the splintered ex-Soviet nation, the epicentre of the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War

- partial results with more than 50 percent of ballots counted show 95.5 percent of voters were in favour of leaving Ukraine in the most radical redrawing of the map of Europe since Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia

- international condemnation has began pouring in from world capitals long before the polls had closed but on the streets of Crimean cities thousands of people were celebrating the outcome with Russian flags and Soviet-era songs

- Ukraine's new pro-European leaders and the West have branded the referendum "illegal" because the strategic Black Sea region has been under de facto control of Russian forces since the start of the month

- the choice facing voters was either to join Russia or go back to a 1992 constitution that effectively made Crimea into an independent state within Ukraine. Retaining good relations with Kiev was not an option

- Crimean leader Sergiy Aksyonov tells a cheering crowd of thousands on Lenin Square in the regional capital Simferopol that the region was "going home" after the seemingly emphatic referendum result, the crowd singing the Russian anthem after preliminary results were revealed

21:17 GMT - 'Radioactive ash' - A leading anchor on Russian state TV has described Russia as the only country capable of turning the United States into "radioactive ash", in an incendiary comment at the height of tensions over the Crimea referendum, AFP's Stuart Williams reports from Moscow.

"Russia is the only country in the world realistically capable of turning the United States into radioactive ash," anchor Dmitry Kiselyov said on his weekly news show on state-controlled Rossiya 1 television.

Kiselyov made the comment to support his argument that the United States and President Barack Obama were living in fear of Russia led by President Vladimir Putin amid the Ukraine crisis.

His programme was broadcast as the first exit polls were being published showing an overwhelming majority of Crimeans voting to leave Ukraine and join Russia.

He stood in his studio in front of a gigantic image of a mushroom cloud produced after a nuclear attack, with the words "into radioactive ash".

21:07 GMT - 'So-called referendum' - "The so-called referendum in Crimea is contrary to international law and contrary to the Ukrainian constitution," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt writes on his official Twitter handle.

Bildt goes on to describe the poll as "a political spectacle to give the face of the legitimacy to a Russian military invasion."

21:00 GMT - CRIMEA VOTE FULLY LEGAL, PUTIN TELLS OBAMA - President Vladimir Putin has told US President Barack Obama in telephone talks that the referendum on the Ukrainian region of Crimea joining Russia was "completely in line with the norms of international law," the Kremlin says.

Putin also told the US president that any Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission in Ukraine should cover "all Ukrainian regions" and not just Crimea.

But the two leaders also agreed that "despite the differences..., it is necessary to jointly search for ways of stabilising the situation in Ukraine," the Kremlin added.

20:56 GMT - 95.5% OF CRIMEANS VOTE TO JOIN RUSSIA: PRELIMINARY RESULTS - 95.5 percent of Crimean voters backed joining Russia in today's disputed referendum, according to preliminary results with 50 percent of ballots counted, local authorities in Simferopol say.

Referendum commission chairman Mykhaylo Malyshev says 3.5 percent had voted to remain in Ukraine with wider autonomous powers and 1.0 percent were "spoiled ballots".

PUTIN TO OBAMA: CRIMEA VOTE 'FULLY IN LINE WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW'

PUTIN HOLDS TELEPHONE TALKS WITH OBAMA: KREMLIN

20:38 GMT - Maidan fairly subdued - The atmosphere in the Maidan -- Kiev's Independence Square -- is fairly subdued with only a small crowd gathered at the main stage and most people milling around, looking at the memorials, reports AFP's Joe Sinclair.

Sergei, a 45-year-old musician who lives near the square said in broken English: "This is a false referendum. Russia is a very bad country - power, aggression, force."

But asked why there weren't more people rallying against the potential loss of Crimea he adds: "We love Crimea but there are not so many Ukrainians in Crimea."

CRIMEA VOTES 95.5% TO JOIN RUSSIA IN DISPUTED REFERENDUM: PRELIMINARY RESULTS

20:21 GMT - 'Slavery and freedom' - In the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, a stronghold of the new interim regime, more than 2,000 Ukrainians gather in the centre to pray for peace after the results of the Crimean referendum are announced, AFP's Karim Talbi reports from Kiev.

During the rally, Oxana Iourinets says: "Ukraine has the choice between slavery and freedom."

TURNOUT WAS 81.36%, REFERENDUM COMMISSION CHAIRMAN SAYS

20:05 GMT - "The turnout was 81.36 percent," says the referendum commission chairman Mykhaylo Malyshev, AFP's Dario Thuburn reports from Crimea.

19:40 GMT - 'Three days to annex Crimea' - Over in Moscow, Russian lawmakers are gathered inside the Duma -- the lower house of parliament -- to celebrate the referendum result.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the veteran leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), tells the Interfax news agency that the legal procedure for the annexation of the Crimea to Russia could "take from three days to three months".

Sergey Narishkin, the speaker of the Duma and a close Putin ally, cannot contain his delight that Crimea wants to come back under Kremlin-control.

The referendum in Crimea is "a historic moment" for Russia, he gushes live on the television channel Pervii Kanal ("First String" ).

"Over the past few years, Russia has only lost people and now we are winning compatriots," he adds.

19:33 GMT - CRIMEA WILL APPLY MONDAY TO JOIN RUSSIA: REGIONAL LEADER - Crimea's regional government will make a formal application Monday to join the Russian Federation, the local pro-Moscow leader says on Twitter after the disputed referendum to break away from Ukraine.

"The Supreme Soviet of Crimea will make an official application for the republic to join the Russian Federation at a meeting on March 17," Sergiy Aksyonov said in a tweet.

CRIMEA WILL APPLY MONDAY TO JOIN RUSSIA: REGIONAL LEADER

19:26 GMT - Chants of 'Sev-as-to-pol' - "Several thousand in Sevastopol's Nakhimov Square. Free, boozy celebration concert. Chants of "Sev-as-to-pol" and "Rus-si-a" from crowd," reports AFP correspondent Katherine Haddon via her Twitter handle @khaddon.

19:17 GMT - Celebrations in Crimea - Thousands of Crimeans are celebrating the outcome of the referendum that exit polls say overwhelmingly back the Black Sea peninsula's split from Ukraine and attachment to Russia, AFP reporters witness.

Several thousands gathered in the Crimean capital of Simferopol, waving Russian and Crimean flags, as well as in Sevastopol, home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, where chants of "Russia!" accompanied an alcohol-fuelled celebration.

19:11 GMT - 'Donetsk, Crimea, Russia' - More on earlier reports that pro-Kremlin protesters in Ukraine's Russian-dominated east have stormed public buildings.

The protesters defied a demonstration ban as they demanded the right to their own Crimea-style referendum, AFP correspondents report.

In the flashpoint city of Donetsk, the site of renewed violence this week, some 4,000 pro-Moscow protesters gathered to support the breakaway vote in Crimea, chanting "Donetsk, Crimea, Russia".

Protesters marched on Donetsk's main prosecution office, smashing windows and barging through the entrance to briefly occupy the building.

They also attacked the regional headquarters of Ukraine's SBU intelligence service for the second straight day, demanding the release of Donetsk's self-declared "governor", Pavel Gubarev, arrested for separatism 10 days ago.

THOUSANDS OF CRIMEANS CELEBRATE REFERENDUM RESULT

18:58 GMT - Referendum a 'mockery' - Britain has slammed a vote in Crimea on breaking away from Ukraine as a "mockery" of democracy and refused to recognise the referendum's outcome.

Speaking in Brussels ahead of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers on Monday, Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the vote as being in breach of the Ukrainian constitution.

"Nothing in the way that the referendum has been conducted should convince anyone that it is a legitimate exercise," he said in a Foreign Office statement.

18:47 GMT - 'Subversive materials' - AFP's Oleksandr Savochenko is at a press conference in Kiev where Ukraine's Interior Minister Arsen Avakov blames extremist Russians for the violent pro-separatist rallies in the eastern cities of Kharkiv and Donesk.

"The security services have arrested a large number of people carrying explosives and subversive materials," he says.

18:40 GMT - US REJECTS CRIMEA VOTE, SAYS RUSSIAN ACTIONS 'DANGEROUS' - The United States has strongly rejected the vote in Crimea, and called Russian actions in the crisis "dangerous and destabilizing," our correspondents report from Washington DC.

"This referendum is contrary to Ukraine's constitution, and the international community will not recognize the results of a poll administered under threats of violence and intimidation from a Russian military intervention that violates international law," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

"The United States has steadfastly supported the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine since it declared its independence in 1991, and we reject the 'referendum' that took place today in the Crimean region of Ukraine," Carney said.

Carney said Russia had spurned outreach to Ukraine and calls for international monitoring, instead escalating its military intervention into Crimea and initiating military exercises on Ukraine's eastern border.

"Russia's actions are dangerous and destabilizing," the White House spokesman said.

"As the United States and our allies have made clear, military intervention and violation of international law will bring increasing costs for Russia –- not only due to measures imposed by the United States and our allies but also as a direct result of Russia’s own destabilizing actions," he said.

18:25 GMT - 'Berkuts' embraced - A woman in red embraces and thanks, one-by-one, the Berkuts (the elite riot police kicked out of Kiev) who are back on the streets of Simferopol, AFP's Kilian Fichou reports from the Crimean capital.

18:20 GMT - Exit polls from Crimea - An overwhelming 93 percent of Crimeans have voted to become part of Russia in a referendum deemed illegal by the new authorities in Ukraine and most of the international community, exit polls show according to Crimea's pro-Moscow authorities.

"Ninety-three percent of Crimean residents have supported the attachment of Crimea to Russia in the referendum. This is the data given by the exit polls," the authorities said.

93% OF CRIMEANS VOTE TO JOIN RUSSIA: EXIT POLLS

18:00 GMT - Motorbike gang - More from AFP correspondent Katherine Haddon in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, where celebrations are apparently in full swing.

There is a stage set up in the city centre which has been hosting entertainment including traditional Russian dancing in front of a crowd of several hundred people.

Many people are walking through the streets carrying Russian flags and some have the Russian flag painted on their faces.

Earlier, a motorbike gang rode through the centre of the town waving Russian flags.

17:58 GMT - Vitali Klitschko - Ukrainian opposition leader Vitali Klitschko has urged the military to "react strongly" against the Russian soldiers present in the country outside the Crimea peninsula, correspondent Oleksandr Savochenko reports from Kiev.

"We are obliged to defend, and we must protect our country," said the former world heavyweight champion boxer, according to his UDAR party's press service.

17:55 GMT - Celebrations in Sevastopol - "Celebrations for Crimea vote already in full swing in Sevastopol. Traditional Russian dancing on stage set up in centre of town just now," AFP correspondent Katherine Haddon writes from the Crimean port city via her Twitter handle @khaddon.

17:44 GMT - 'Kharkiv, Russian city' - More than 4,000 pro-Russian protesters have gone on the rampage in Kharkiv, reports AFP's Sergei Bobok from the Russian-speaking city in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian police stood aside as they stormed into and ransacked the office of pro-Kiev organisations in the city centre.

"Books and pamphlets belonging to the Pravy Sektor" (Sector Right) were burnt," Bobok reports.

The demonstrators originally massed on Freedom Place, and brandished a 100-metre long Russian flag and waved posters proclaiming "Russia and Ukraine, together forever".

They marched to the Russian Consulate and chanted "Russia, Russia", "Kharkiv, Russian city".

The rally then progressed to the Polish consulate where they demanded the end of the western intervention in Ukrainian affairs.

"Shame", "We are the power" were common chants outside the Polish consolate, Bobok reports.

The demonstrators moved on to the headquarters of the SBU security service where one grabbed a megaphone and urged the security forces to not obey the authorities in Kiev.

17:23 GMT - Sevastopol turnout 'at 83.5%' - As many as 83.5% of voters in Crimea's capital Sevastopol had cast their votes in the referendum by 6pm local time (1600 GMT), the Sevastopol electoral commission tells Kiev-based news agency Interfax-Ukraine.

The polling stations are open until 8pm (1800 GMT).

17:15 GMT - Germany ramps up rhetoric - Germany buys around one third of its oil and gas from Russia, but Berlin has not shied away from warning it will impose stiff penalties if Moscow annexes Crimea.

Germany Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has ramped up the rhetoric and issued a sharp warning to Russia over its seizure of Crimea and Sunday's referendum, our correspondent Deborah Cole reports from Berlin.

"We did not go looking for this confrontation. But if Russia does not back down at the last minute, the EU foreign ministers will give an appropriate initial response on Monday," he told Sunday's edition of the newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

"We are in an extremely dangerous situation. Tensions are also building in the east of Ukraine. Russia has until now blocked every exit option, every step toward de-escalation and apparently wants to create facts on the ground that we cannot accept."

17:06 GMT - KERRY URGES UKRAINE CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS, RUSSIA PULLBACK - US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Moscow to pull back Russian forces to their bases in Crimea in return for constitutional reforms in Ukraine to protect minority rights, a US official said according to our correspondents in Washington.

"The secretary made clear that this crisis can only be resolved politically and that as Ukrainians take the necessary political measures going forward, Russia must reciprocate by pulling forces back to base, and addressing the tensions and concerns about military engagement," the senior State Department official said.

17:02 GMT - EU SAYS CRIMEA REFERENDUM 'ILLEGAL', WILL DECIDE SANCTIONS MONDAY - Crimea's referendum on joining Russia is "illegal and illegitimate", the European Union says, announcing that it would decide on sanctions on Monday.

"The referendum is illegal and illegitimate and its outcome will not be recognised," the European Council and European Commission presidents said in a joint statement.

EU foreign ministers "will evaluate the situation tomorrow in Brussels and decide on additional measures" against Moscow, they said.

16:52 GMT - Turnout 'at 73.41%' - Official turnout figures from the referendum are being alerted by Russia's state-owned news agency Ria Novosti.

By 8pm Moscow time (1600 GMT), 1,124,000 people or 73.41% of the population of Crimea had voted, the agency reports.

16:35 GMT - 'Crimea = Sudetenland' - Many of the demonstrators marching in west London are holding banners in protest against Russia's actions, an AFP photographer says.

Two of the banners read "Russia out of Crimea, out of Ukraine" and "Crimea = Sudetenland", a reference to Nazi Germany's annexation of parts of Czechoslovakia in 1938 in the build-up to World War II.

16:10 GMT - Rally in London - As previously reported, around two thousand demonstrators holding Ukrainian flags are marching towards the Russian embassy near Hyde Park in west London in protest against Russia's actions in Crimea and Ukraine (see embedded photo).

16:08 GMT - Status quo not an option - Voters in Crimea can choose to become part of Russia or retain more autonomy but stay in Ukraine -- a vote for the status quo is not an option, AFP correspondent Dario Thuburn explains.

The referendum committee has said turnout was at 44 percent a third of the way through voting.

16:00 GMT - Journalists declined entry - In Crimea, Cossacks and pro-Moscow militias have been seen patrolling at some polling stations and Russian flags were being flown everywhere from city buses to convoys of bikers roaming the streets, our correspondent Dario Thuburn reports.

Accredited journalists including some from AFP have been prevented from entering polling stations in the port city of Sevastopol and the regional capital Simferopol, and several people were seen voting in Sevastopol before the polls officially opened, Thuburn writes.

Foreign observers were present but security watchdog the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) declined an invitation to monitor saying it was not official as it did not come from Ukraine's national government.

15:52 GMT - Two thousand in London - In London, almost two thousand demonstrators waving Ukrainian flags are gathered in front of the Russian Embassy, an AFP photographer there reports.

More details as we get them.

15:47 GMT - 'Clown shows and circuses' - The majority Muslim Tatar population in Bakhchysaray, an inland city of 25,000, has stayed at home on the cold and rainy referendum day, AFP's Michel Moutot reports.

With the mass deportations by Stalin in 1944 still fresh in their memories, Tatars have opposed Crimea becoming part of Russia from the start and called for a boycott of the referendum.

"Of course we won't vote. I won't go and I think all the Tatars of Crimea won't go either," Dilyara Seitvelieva, the community's representative in Bakhchysara, tells AFP.

"I don't need this referendum, I will not go and vote. My life's good as it is," an elderly man agrees on his way to pray at the small Mahmud Sami mosque.

Crimean Tatar leader Refat Chubarov denounces the referendum, telling Inter television on Sunday: "We, Crimean Tatars, have never taken part in clown shows and circuses."

15:39 GMT - Ukrainian passport - In Bakhchysaray, the main centre of Crimea's native Muslim Tatar community, Russian-speakers are the only people turning up at the polls, as Tatars have decided to boycott the referendum, AFP's Michel Moutot reports.

Elvira is at the polling station early with her teenage children and says she hopes the vote will afford them a better future.

"These two are going to grow up in Russia and that's a good thing," she says, her hands on her son and daughter's shoulders.

"They will have more opportunities, more prospects. It's a rich and powerful country," she says. "This is the last time I use my Ukrainian passport. At least I hope so."

15:20 GMT - PRO-RUSSIANS STORM SECURITY HQ IN UKRAINE'S DONETSK - Pro-Russian groups have stormed the local headquarters of Ukraine's SBU security services and the prosecutor's office in the flashpoint eastern city of Donetsk, an AFP reporter witnesses.

Protesters, demanding the release of their self-appointed "governor," attacked the two buildings without meeting much opposition from police, the reporter says.

15:12 GMT - 'Historic moment' - "This is a historic moment, everyone will live happily," Sergiy Aksyonov, the local pro-Moscow prime minister, tells reporters after casting his ballot in the regional capital Simferopol.

"We will celebrate this evening," Aksyonov said, after a man waving a blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag and demanding it be put up inside the polling station was pushed away by security guards.

15:04 GMT - WELCOME TO AFP'S LIVE REPORT ON A UNIQUE referendum in Crimea where people are voting on breaking away from Ukraine to join Russia, a vote which has precipitated a Cold War-style security crisis on Europe's eastern frontier.

Ukraine's new government and most of the international community except Russia have said they will not recognise a result expected to be overwhelmingly in favour of immediate secession.

The Black Sea peninsula is inhabited mostly by ethnic Russians and has been seized by Russian forces over the past month after the ouster of Ukraine's pro-Kremlin leader in February, plunging US-Russia ties to their lowest point since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Preliminary results were expected to be announced soon after polls close at 8:00 pm local time (1800 GMT) so stay with us for updates from our correspondents in Crimea and in Kiev throughout the afternoon.

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