14:40
25.5.2014
14:39
25.5.2014
14:38
25.5.2014
Latest update from our news desk:
Voting is under way in Ukraine's presidential election, with pro-Russian separatists who control of much of two eastern regions disrupting the vote.
In the capital, Kyiv, long queues were reported at some polling stations, Kyiv, while most polling stations remained closed in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. In Donetsk, separatists publicly smashed ballot boxes.
The Central Election Commission said that by 1000 Prague time, national turnout stood at more than17 percent.
After casting his vote in Kyiv, acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk warned: “All attempts to wreck the election made by Russia and Russian-funded terrorists are bound to fail."
Eighteen candidates are competing to become Ukraine's next leader.
Polls show billionaire candy-maker Petro Poroshenko with a commanding lead, but short of the absolute majority needed to win in the first round.
His nearest challenger is former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
In the capital, Kyiv, long queues were reported at some polling stations, Kyiv, while most polling stations remained closed in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. In Donetsk, separatists publicly smashed ballot boxes.
The Central Election Commission said that by 1000 Prague time, national turnout stood at more than17 percent.
After casting his vote in Kyiv, acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk warned: “All attempts to wreck the election made by Russia and Russian-funded terrorists are bound to fail."
Eighteen candidates are competing to become Ukraine's next leader.
Polls show billionaire candy-maker Petro Poroshenko with a commanding lead, but short of the absolute majority needed to win in the first round.
His nearest challenger is former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
14:36
25.5.2014
RFE/RL's Glenn Kates' lunch in Mezhova
14:34
25.5.2014
14:33
25.5.2014
Residents of the village of Velyky Dalnyk near Odesa, in southern Ukraine, said they were hoping for peace and prosperity as they went to the polls to elect the country's new president on May 25. A video from RFE/RL's Moldova Service.
14:17
25.5.2014
Its early (1300) and its unofficial. But an (illegal) exit poll shows Poroshenko with a very strong lead:
14:10
25.5.2014
14:01
25.5.2014
From our news desk:
Two Russian journalists held for a week after being detained by pro-government forces in eastern Ukraine have been released.
Oleg Sidyakin and Marat Saichenko were detained on May 18 near the eastern town of Kramatorsk.
The two journalists for website LifeNews were released early on May 25 and first flew to Chechnya's capital, Grozny, where they met with leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
Speaking to reporters later in the day in Moscow, Sidyakin and Saichenko denied claims that they were carrying antiaircraft missiles when detained.
On May 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the accusation as "nonsense and delirium."
Life News is owned by News Media Holding – a private Russian firm controlled by Kremlin-loyalist Aram Babrelyanov and whose major shareholders include members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.
Oleg Sidyakin and Marat Saichenko were detained on May 18 near the eastern town of Kramatorsk.
The two journalists for website LifeNews were released early on May 25 and first flew to Chechnya's capital, Grozny, where they met with leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
Speaking to reporters later in the day in Moscow, Sidyakin and Saichenko denied claims that they were carrying antiaircraft missiles when detained.
On May 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the accusation as "nonsense and delirium."
Life News is owned by News Media Holding – a private Russian firm controlled by Kremlin-loyalist Aram Babrelyanov and whose major shareholders include members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.
13:55
25.5.2014
Voters in Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine, were unable to cast their ballots in the presidential election as most of the city's polling stations were closed. Pro-Russian rebels seized or blocked the offices of many election commissions in the area, in some cases kidnapping and intimidating election officials. A video from RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.
