The independence referendum in the Russian-speaking regions of eastern Ukraine of Donetsk and Lugansk ended with the announced plebiscite: in fact, 95,98% voted yes to the independence of the self-proclaimed republic of Lugansk, as announced by the deputy chairman of the commission constituency Oleksandr Malykhyn.
The pro-Russian secessionists win, therefore, but the game will hardly end here. For the West, the referendum is simply "illegal" with a lot of formal condemnation by Catherine Ashton, French President Francois Hollande and the US government.
For Kiev, on the other hand, it is a "criminal farce inspired, organized and financed by the Kremlin". The main fear, of course, is that Russia could use this vote as a pretext for yet another Crimea-style annexation or to recognize another breakaway republic.
According to data released by the organizers of the referendum, voter turnout would have been around 70%, a figure that is difficult to verify given the absence of independent or international observers on site. The only certain thing is that it was a very non-transparent vote, between multiple votes in several seats, packs of ballots already voted and one-way electoral commissions. Meanwhile, the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin is awaited, who had advised to postpone the referendum. "It is difficult to make predictions," admitted spokesman Peskov, without arguing whether the fate of the Donbass region will follow that of Crimea: that is, annexation to Russia.
Meanwhile, in the Ukraine torn apart by its divisions, the date of the next presidential elections of May 25 is approaching, after which the winner will also have to call new legislative elections. The favorite at the moment is another oligarch, Petro Poroshenko.
