Ukraine's Crimea votes to join Russian Federation

Ukraine's Crimea votes to join Russian Federation

SIMFEROPOL -- Exit polls conducted at 200 polling stations showed that 93 percent of residents of Crimea voted in favor of this Ukrainian republic joining Russia.

Tanjug said in its report that the source for this number was the Republic Institute for Political and Social Research.

International observers said that the referendum on Sunday went in line with international standards, the news agency said.

The authorities in Kiev and in western countries denounced the voting as illegal, however, and reiterated they would not recognize its results.

Meanwhile in Moscow, it was announced that Russia was "carefully monitoring the results of the Crimea referendum, and would consider them when they are final."

Earlier, Duma President Sergei Narishkin said the referendum was "a historic event for Russia" - a sentiment shared by Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov, who stated the vote in favor of joining the Russian Federation was "a very important decision that would be recorded in history."

According to reports, the turnout in the referendum was above 80 percent.

As soon as the polling stations closed, some 15,000 citizens carrying Russian flags gathered in downtown Simferopol to celebrate the results.