Vote results unveiled today showed Alexander Zakharchenko, the rebel leader in Donetsk, claiming an easy victory.ĭespite the ceasefire agreement, fighting rages daily between government troops and rebel forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In the vote, residents in Donetsk and Luhansk were choosing legislators and executives. Plans for yesterday’s vote had been sharply criticised by the European Union and the US, which said it violated Ukrainian law and undermined a September ceasefire deal. The Foreign Ministry said today that the vote in Donetsk and Luhansk gave elected representatives the authority to restore stability in regions unsettled by an armed separatist insurgency.

Russia has backed a contentious election held by separatists in eastern Ukraine, setting the stage for renewed diplomatic tensions with the west.