96.77% of Crimeans want to join Russia (photo, video)

10:00 96.77% of Crimean electors voted for joining Russia.

2.51% of electors voted for staying in Ukraine and going back to the Constitution of 1992. 0.72% of ballot papers were nullified.

100% of ballot appears have been counted. The information does not include Sevastopol because it is a separate region. According to the official statistics, 81.36% of inhabitants of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea took part in the referendum.

23:40 95.5% have voted for joining the Russian federation, the Crimean CEC chairperson announced after 50% of the ballot papers had been counted.

22:45 Referendum cncert in Simferopol.

21:05 Polling stations have closed in Crimea. According to the preliminary information, the turnout exceeded 80%. 91% of electors voted for joining Russia, the only organization accredited by the Crimean authorities claimed after conducting exit polls.

The USA and EU claimed that they would not recognize the referendum results and its legitimacy. Kiev will not recognize the referendum either.

16:15 Voting at home. Beloozersk Disatcrt, Crimea. Photo: EPA

13:05 A meeting in support of the Crimean referendum has started in Donetsk.

12:45 People are being brought to the pro-Russia meeting in Donetsk by bus, Ukrainian mass media report. Most of them are men aged between 20 and 40. The meeting in support of joining Russia will start in Donetsk at 1 p.m. FET.

11:50 Berkut guarding thereferendum. Photo: Novaya Gazeta.

11:40 Antiterrorist manoeuvres are being held in Crimea on the referendum day, RBK-Ukraine reports.

The manoeuvres are needed to check the coordination between the police and other structures.

11:30 Such leaflets can be found on many Crimean houses, Yauhen Feldman wrote.

11:00 Even Russian citizens are allowed to vote in Crimea. Journalist Yekaterina Sergatskova received a ballot paper having shown her Russian passport, she wrote on Facebook.

"Being a Russian citizen, I still received a ballot paper in Simferopol because I live here. A commission member did not find my name on the voting list and simply entered it into another list. ”

Two questions are asked at the referendum: “Would you like Crimea to join Russia as an object of the Russian Federation?” and “Do you support the return of the Constitution of 1992 and would you like Crimea to stay part of Ukraine?”

Crimea a day before the referendum – a photo report by Novaya Gazeta.

The ballot papers are printed in three languages – Ukrainian, Russian and Crimean-Tatar.

Local referendums are not allowed by the Ukrainian Constitution so the Ukrainian authorities have announced it illegitimate. Not a single country except Russia has supported it.

The UN Security Council tried to adopt a resolution on Crimea. The Crimean plebiscite was supposed to be announced illegitimate. However, Russia put a veto upon it. This resolution may still be adopted at the UN General Assembly where Russia does not have the right of veto.