90% Vote for Sovereignty in East Ukraine: Rebels

Pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine say preliminary results of a contentious referendum show nearly 90% of voters have supported sovereignty for their region. Roman Lyagin, election chief of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic, said around 75% of the region's 3 million voters cast ballots today. With no independent observers monitoring the vote, however, verifying the figures will prove problematic, the AP notes. The referendum took place amid sustained condemnation from the central government in Kiev and the Western community. (More Ukraine stories.)