Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine appeared to be on track to declare victory in a referendum Sunday that Kiev and the West called illegal and riddled with irregularities. The vote ratchets up tensions between the Kremlin, which may recognize the referendum, and the nascent government in Kiev, which is struggling to regain control of the two provinces that it accuses Moscow of destabilizing through support of rebels.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
Wall Street Journal: Eastern Ukrainians vote on secession
Ukrainian security forces and Maidan activists man a checkpoint on a road leading to Kiev on May 8, 2014 as part of security measures on the eve of Victory Day. Russia is gearing up for hugely patriotic celebrations of its victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, but festivities in neighbouring Ukraine will be muted amid fears of provocations. The May 9 commemorations come at an extremely sensitive time for the two Slavic nations that fought side by side against Nazi Germany but are now locked in an unprecedented confrontation that threatens to tip Ukraine into civil war. AFP PHOTO/ SERGEI SUPINSKY
