Threat to eastern Ukraine elections

At least half of the election districts in eastern Ukraine have been unable to prepare for tomorrow’s presidential election, an official said today.

Volodymyr Hrinyak, chief of the public security department at the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, said today, in comments carried by the Interfax news agency, that 17 out of 34 district election commissions in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are not operating because their offices have either been seized or blocked by armed men.

Pro-Russian insurgents have controlled parts of Ukraine for weeks. Following their declaration of independence earlier this month, they pledged to derail the vote which they regard as an election in “a neighbouring country”.

The insurgents remain defiant although Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is ready to work with the election winner.