17:06
25.5.2014
17:05
25.5.2014
Few Ukrainian citizens in Russia voted in election. This from AFP:
MOSCOW, May 25, 2014 (AFP) - Several hundred Ukrainians voted in the country's presidential election in Moscow on Sunday but the vast majority of their countrymen in the Russian capital stayed away.
Viktor Girzhov, the head of the electoral commission at the Ukrainian embassy, said that 667 people had voted as of 4:00 pm Moscow time (1200 GMT).
That accounts for less than two percent of the Ukrainians registered as living in the Russian capital, Girzhov told a news conference.
"That doesn't seem like many people, but you have to remember that as a rule few Ukrainians vote in Moscow. In the last legislative elections, there were less than 500 participants," Girzhov said.
A total of 26,997 Ukrainians are registered at the Ukrainian consulate, which is a only a small fraction of the estimated 1.6 million Ukrainians living in Russia.
Viktor Girzhov, the head of the electoral commission at the Ukrainian embassy, said that 667 people had voted as of 4:00 pm Moscow time (1200 GMT).
That accounts for less than two percent of the Ukrainians registered as living in the Russian capital, Girzhov told a news conference.
"That doesn't seem like many people, but you have to remember that as a rule few Ukrainians vote in Moscow. In the last legislative elections, there were less than 500 participants," Girzhov said.
A total of 26,997 Ukrainians are registered at the Ukrainian consulate, which is a only a small fraction of the estimated 1.6 million Ukrainians living in Russia.
16:48
25.5.2014
16:48
25.5.2014
More suggestions that there are armed fighters from Chechnya in eastern Ukraine. Our service points out that it's difficult to determine from such photos where the gunmen are from, and Russian writer/activist Sergei Shargunov cites a small number of "Ossetians and Chechens," noting that they would be individual volunteers.
16:16
25.5.2014
Hromadske TV reports that turnout in Donetsk is 13.7 as of 3:00 pm
16:15
25.5.2014
Weather in Kyiv has apparently improved:
16:11
25.5.2014
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has arrived for his provocatively timed two-day working trip to Crimea.
Medvedev was scheduled to visit immigration offices in the city of Sevastopol, where Russian passports are being issued to local residents. Medvedev’s office said he will also visit the Artek children's center on the Black Sea. He will also meet with annexed Crimea's acting governor, Sergei Aksyonov.
It is Medvedev's second trip to Crimea since Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula in March.
In a statement, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry described the visit as "a deliberate provocation aimed at destabilizing the situation in Ukraine."
16:05
25.5.2014
After casting his vote at a polling station in Kyiv, presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko told journalists the May 25 election must help restore peace in Ukraine and "stop the terror" in the country's east. He also called for a direct dialogue with the people of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, parts of which remain under the control of pro-Russian separatists. A video from RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.
16:01
25.5.2014
From our news desk:
Ukrainians turned out in large numbers to vote in Ukraine's presidential election, three months after the ouster of the country's pro-Russia leader.
The vote comes with pro-Russian separatists in control of much of two eastern regions.
The country's Central Election Commission (CEC) said that by 1400 Prague time, national turnout stood at more than 40 percent.
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.
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.
Ukrainians turned out in large numbers to vote in Ukraine's presidential election, three months after the ouster of the country's pro-Russia leader.
The vote comes with pro-Russian separatists in control of much of two eastern regions.
The country's Central Election Commission (CEC) said that by 1400 Prague time, national turnout stood at more than 40 percent.
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.
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.
16:00
25.5.2014
From our news desk:
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on May 25 started a two-day working trip to Crimea, as Ukrainians are voting in presidential elections.
Medvedev was scheduled to visit immigration offices in the city of Sevastopol where Russian passports are being issued to local residents.
Medvedev’s office said he will also visit the Artek children's center on the Black Sea on May 26.
It is Medvedev's second trip to Crimea since Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula in March.
President Vladimir Putin attended Victory Day celebrations earlier this month in the region.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on May 25 started a two-day working trip to Crimea, as Ukrainians are voting in presidential elections.
Medvedev was scheduled to visit immigration offices in the city of Sevastopol where Russian passports are being issued to local residents.
Medvedev’s office said he will also visit the Artek children's center on the Black Sea on May 26.
It is Medvedev's second trip to Crimea since Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula in March.
President Vladimir Putin attended Victory Day celebrations earlier this month in the region.