Ukraine’s poll warning

UKRAINE’S leader Oleksandr Turchynov issued a warning to Russian separatists yesterday ahead of referendums in two eastern regions demanding to be ruled by Moscow.

He said that if there were ‘Yes’ votes today in Donetsk and in the neighbouring region of Luhansk, it would mean the ‘complete destruction of the economy, social programmes and life in general for the majority of people in these regions.’

He was speaking as the Kremlin raised tensions by threatening the ‘gravest consequences’ for the independent state of Moldova if it sought closer relations with the European Union – which Ukraine was trying to do before the revolution in February that toppled the Moscow-backed President Viktor Yanukovych.