Crimea holds secession referendum
Crimea is
voting on whether to rejoin Russia or stay with Ukraine but with more autonomy.
The referendum
has been condemned as "illegal" by Kiev and the West but is backed by
Moscow.Since the fall
of Ukraine's pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych, Russian troops have in
effect taken control of the majority ethnic-Russian region.
Voters are
expected to support leaving Ukraine, but Crimean Tatars are boycotting the
poll.
There are
reports of a high turnout at polling stations visited by the BBC in the
capital, Simferopol, and mainly Tartar Bakhchisaray. But all Tatars spoken to
by the BBC in Bakhchisaray said they would not vote.Election
official Mykhaylo Malyshev said there had been a "record-breaking
turnout" of 44.27%, after six hours of voting.
Voting across
Crimea started at 08:00 local time and will close at 20:00
