Update | Ukrainian leader Oleksandr Turchynov points finger at Russia
Ukrainian leader accuses Russia of trying to overthrow legitimate state power after rebels declare resounding win in self-rule referendums
Ukrainian leader Oleksandr Turchynov yesterday accused Russia of working to overthrow legitimate state power in Ukraine after pro-Russian rebels declared a resounding victory in referendums on self-rule in eastern regions.
Turchynov said the Kremlin was trying to disrupt a presidential election later this month which is taking centre stage in a confrontation pitting Moscow and the separatists against the government in Kiev and its Western backers.
RIA news agency quoted a rebel leader as saying the eastern Luhansk region would boycott the May 25 election. What he called the "Republic of Luhansk" may hold a further referendum on union with Russia, as Ukraine's Crimea region did under Russian military occupation before its annexation by Moscow in March.
Watch: Eastern Ukraine rebels see Russian future after referendum
Ukraine's election is intended to secure democratic continuity and legitimacy after pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych fled the country in February, and Western governments have threatened more sanctions in the vital areas of energy, financial services and engineering if Moscow disrupts the vote.