KIEV, May 13 (RIA Novosti) – The Kiev regime is set to continue the special operation against federalists in the country’s southeast following referendums in the region on Sunday, acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov said Tuesday.
“Authorities continue anti-terrorist operations to stop criminal actions,” the Ukrainian parliament’s press service quoted Turchynov as saying.
After the special operation, which resulted in dozens of deaths, the Donetsk and Luhansk regions held referendums on Sunday, asking only one question: “Do you support the act of state self-determination of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics?”
The majority of citizens answered “yes.”
Both republics declared themselves sovereign states on Monday with Donetsk planning to ask Moscow to join Russia. The Luhansk leadership also said it did not rule out the possibility of a referendum on becoming part of Russia.
The citizens of the mainly Russian-speaking southeastern regions of Ukraine have refused to recognize the legitimacy of the country’s interim government and called for federalization and referendums on greater autonomy, with rallies sweeping through the region.
In response to these demands Kiev launched a special operation in mid-April to crack down on the protesters, leading to violent clashes with dozens of casualties. Moscow condemned the operation as a very dangerous development, repeatedly calling for a peaceful resolution of the crisis and nationwide dialogue.
