Talk of Ukraine split as fighting flares

Pro-Moscow rebels expressed confidence that eastern Ukraine had chosen self-rule in a referendum yesterday, with some saying that meant independence and others eventual union with Russia as fighting flared.

National guardsmen opened fire on a crowd outside a town hall in eastern Ukraine and an official for the region’s insurgents said there were fatalities.

The bloodshed in the town of Krasnoarmeisk occurred hours after dozens of guardsmen shut down voting in the referendum.