At WSJ, "Pro-Russian Separatists Prepare for Referendum in Eastern Ukraine: Election Officials in Donetsk Set Up Polling Stations to Gather Independence Votes on Sunday":
DONETSK, Ukraine—Pro-Russia separatists in two eastern regions prepared polling stations for a referendum on Sunday intended to seal their independence from Ukraine but denounced as illegal by Kiev and the West.Keep reading.
At an "electoral commission" in downtown Donetsk, activists glued paper flags of their self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic over the Ukrainian coat of arms on ballot boxes and sealed them before sending them to polling stations.
Election officials say they have more than 1,500 voting stations across Donetsk alone, and even intend to hold the vote in the port city of Mariupol, where fighting Friday left several dead as Kiev tried to stamp its control there.
The separatists would have little chance of winning a free and fair vote, as a majority here want close ties with Russia but to remain part of Ukraine, polls show.
Although Kiev and the West say they won't recognize the referendum's result, it could allow the separatists to declare a de-facto divorce from Ukraine. That could lead to a descent into international isolation akin to the Russian-backed breakaway statelets in Moldova and Georgia. For the Donetsk region, whose heavy industries are dependent on exports, an international pariah status could cause serious economic pain. Barring Crimea-style annexation by Russia, in which Moscow publicly has expressed no interest, Donetsk People's Republic could find itself with crimped export markets and unemployment problems. Asked about this, Roman Lyagin, Donetsk People's Republic's election chief, said that "it's better to live in isolation than under occupations."
Why do I sense that Putin won't in fact stay uninvolved. Well, actually, I have an idea, but we'll see.
Added: From Masha Gessen, at the Washington Post, "After carving up Ukraine, where will Putin turn next?"
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