The referendum on independence saw a record high number of voters cast their ballots. An initial vote count on May 12 showed 96% of voters in Lugansk and 90% of voters in Donetsk voting yes.

Contradictory responses from the world community

The referendum results ignited a quarrel between the west and Russia.

The Kremlin said Russia respected the “self-rule” referendum in Donetsk and Lugansk provinces. Moscow urged non-violent compliance with the results through dialogues among representatives from Kiev, Donetsk, and Lugansk, and called on Ukraine’s interim government to organize a national conference on Ukraine’s future organization.

In contrast to Russia, the Kiev administration and the West called the referendum a political farce. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said the referendum will not legally impact Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The US said it will not acknowledge the illegal referendum in Ukraine’s eastern provinces. Spokeswoman for the US State Department Jen Psaki said the referendum organized by separatists in Donetsk and Lughansk aimed to divide Ukraine. EU President Herman Van Rompuy called the referendum illegal and questionable.

Deepening political crisis in Ukraine

Hours after the referendum results were released, leaders of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” and “Lugansk People’s Republic” announced sovereignty and independence from Ukraine. Dennis Pushilin, co-chairman of the “Donetsk People’s Republic”, declared Donetsk sovereignty and asked Russia to make Donetsk part of Russia. Dennis said the Supreme Council will be the highest state agency of the “Donetsk People’s Republic”, in charge of forming a government and a security council.

Meanwhile, “people’s governor” Valery Bolotov said the “Lugansk People’s Republic” will pursue nationalism, freedom, and law and will not abide by orders from Kiev. The interim leadership of the “Lugansk People’s Republic” is preparing to submit a letter asking the UN to recognize its independent status and is calling on the world community for support.

The biggest headaches for Ukraine’s interim government are the self-rule forces in Donetsk and Lugansk, who say they will boycott the presidential election on May 25 which the government hopes will be a solution to the crisis.

The referendum victory in Donetsk and Lugansk may create a domino effect in other regions, including Kharkiv and Odessa. If that happens, Ukraine could dissolve.

In addition to an exhausted economy, Ukraine is facing a rift between the central government and eastern provinces. Defusing the situation will be a challenge for the government and Ukraine can not hope to escape the crisis anytime soon.