this time near the eastern region of crema tosk. germany's foreign minister is now in kiev. eastern regions of both breaking away on sunday. meanwhile life is difficult for the citizens of crimea. >> reporter: a slightly chaotic scene leer. they are registering so they can get access to their savings. like many this woman has a account with a ukrainian bank. ukraine kran banks closed suddenly on the orders of the kiev government. >> translator: i was receiving social payments. i left the money there so it could earn interest. now i would like to get it back. but even if i travel to ukraine, i'm not sure i could get it back. >> reporter: now some offices are being used by a russian fund that will compensate people up to $20,000. these people have been queueing for more than two hours at the fun. but believe it or not, they are the lucky ones. many like this crowd over here still have to get a date and time when they can go in, and sometimes down the line they will be told where they can go to access their money. the crisis is also hitting businessmen like this man. with their

he was an activist in the eastern regions to postpone the referendum on course for rescheduled for sunday on the on again off reports in the sky. awesome bread and the difficulties that the stoning of the front of the eastern ukraine. what great conditions for dialogue in the country. he made his comments following talks with tt ever called her this was president and current chairman of the organization for security and cooperation in you i should change. we think rather direct dialogue between kiev authorities and representatives of south eastern ukraine is a key element of resolving the crisis. we call on representatives of south east ukraine. the supporters of the finalization of the country to postpone the referendum plan. the male lead and this year. russian separatists in eastern ukraine have been taken over government buildings and demanding greater autonomy from key in recent weeks paul says that violence must be stopped and that the use of military force and aren't illegal units extremist elements and forces was unacceptable adding that moscow had been told its troops from the bo

first, pro-russian separatists have declared victory in the referendum into eastern regions of ukraine. the vote has been surrounded in confusion both as plan a and which voting took place and even over what people were voting for. the vote was mark of violence as one man was shot dead and another hurt when the ukrainian national guard opened fire on the crowd. meanwhile, the eastern region said that they will not participate in the ukrainian presidential elections that are set for may 25. the main separatist leader was quick to push forward on his victory. he said that the ukrainian army will now be considered illegal and any troops in the region declared occupiers. >> we have a unique situation. for the first time in the history of ukraine we have a people's referendum and we will create the first people's government, coming from the people and working for the people. we are not going to have any dialogue with kiev. a treatise by not -- like not human, by killing people. >> in general we feel that ukraine already no longer exists. we are now rebuilding our lives anew. this is the fir

they agreed to a specific steps for de escalation of the station in eastern regions. however the green ants are not fulfilled by moscow unanimously declared european american and ukrainian politicians want him to study shall we send its troops to train under the guise of peacekeepers. this was taken by dependence are presented to all the ukraine to the united nations he said he and his endless content that's implemented occasions to iran. it includes a few steps stairs to bed it is controlled by the kremlin press administrative institutions and proclaimed the still cold. the show is in your limits than us can recognize as this. and tt's and brands. it's on there the trip was nice to disrupt the upcoming presidential elections because of their lack of support for disability among the population of the eastern regions of ukraine. seeking to wheeze to disagree with the situation in the region the training carry tote numerous complications to his patients. precious points of the indigo parliament by military units. and it is estimated the so called pushing granted it is to

independent surveys have shown winning support for him to bite ukraine even the most the russian speaking eastern regions. a poll conducted last month by the international republican institute which included kindly ensure that only fourteen percent increase in support for jones the scene of the country that even to national institute of sociology has published its april two thousand fourteen findings suggest that close to seventy percent of people living in the south east of ukraine cannot support the separation of the country's regions great news for us your team to some prison term in the modern world he says the eu is free to provide economic aid to ukraine in cooperation with the international monetary fund. rowntree says the interim authorities in kiev have taken steps to help like to be made in geneva to embark on economic and political reforms. laundry needs. the forty from an agreement with the imf with it. he knew when he's ready my micro financial aids. a new framework for the overall package. so we already support your grave. causing change. our reforms. and if life begins quarter. he's one of

jonah hull, al jazeera, donetske. >> and while ukraine is dealing with the crisis in the eastern regions the country may soon be out of gas. gazprom says it will give the country a bill for the month of june tomorrow. gazprom officials say if they don't get paid by june 3 russia will cut off gas sports. they say ukraine owes them more than $3.5 billion. log on to aljazeera.com, show a time line of evangelists there, all at aljazeera.com. >>> turn to relentless severe weather, tornadoes ripping through the nation's heart land. meteorology dave warren, dave are we going to see more and more of these storms? >> yes, as a matter of fact we already have severe weather moving through. severe weather area which was here yesterday, this is radar from yesterday afternoon and evening. 36 tornado reports l coming in from the storm prediction center, maybe a few less tornadoes but you get a number of reports from the same storm. this area had the tornadoes yesterday. now the current radar sees a line of severe weather right near chicago, not tornadic but a severe storm watch, warnings, impacting par

but he's also pushing the government in kiev for more awe -- autonomy for the eastern regions. >> thed we're going to start requiring prepayment for the gas that we send to ukraine, and two billion would be a good starting point. they're not going to be providing anymore gas, they say, unless ukraine coughs up a whole bunch of rubble -- rubles. is that possible for that government? >> they're in terrible shape but ubeen qualified for a big loan from the imf. but prepayment for the gas, which is what the russians are demanding, will be very difficult. fortunately we're going into the summer so gas needs will be less acute for the short term than they would have been in the winter time. >> and vladimir putin, all of this is -- the chaos is good news for him? >> sure. the current june rising of the steelworkers is not beau that's weakening the separatists who are his buddies. >> and maybe working for him. >> exactly. but given that, that they want greater independence for the eastern region that play into putin's agenda so this is a mixed development for him. >> and still very dicey. >>

not everyone could do so in the eastern regions of luhansk and donetsk. ing stations were unable to open because of threats from row prussian separatists. it's clear the winner of the election by a landslide is the billionaire chocolate maker petro poroshenko. he is insisting on the return of crimea. there's been fighting at the donetsk international airport. pro russian separatists apparently taking over part of the building with helicopter gun ships. ukrainian gun ships reported to be circling overhead and firing down. machine gunfire comes from the ground. one building is believed to be on fire. we'll get more in a meeoment. more of the news of the presidential election. >> petro poroshenko is a familiar face in politics. he always played a supporting role. now the 48-year-old chocolate king appears poised to take over the reigns of power. the results are not final, but he is already outlining his plans. chief on his list, a relations with russia. >> i hope that the world will support us. i hope mostly that the russian federation will support my approac

and now welling majority of the people who took part in the referendums into eastern ukrainian regions voted and they about self-determination the numbers were announced at a news conference held by the donetsk people's republic policia thirty's hales the final tally is now in for yesterday's referendum vote and no surprise it is an overwhelming yes for the right for self-determination here in the region the final count is eighty nine percent of people voting yes in the lugansk region it stands at ninety six percent it is also a referendum that saw an extremely high turnout there were people that were literally standing in some polling stations for hours the queues went all the way down the road sometimes in circling the next road and even going around the corner this is a clear indication of the importance and value that people here put on this referendum is they were essentially voting for an issue that was very close to their hearts the recent military operation by that here government for the better part. so people go in such large numbers to the streets and this was a point that w

. >> interim prime minister did say that kiev would be willing to transfer powers to the eastern region. he said the government would ensure a special status for the russian language. welcomedonal mediators the input from different sides in the debate. decision is of course to as much inclusivity, to create as much diversity in terms of who to be invited. forith elections planned next sunday, the pressure is on to find a solution to the crisis. more talks are planned for wednesday. >> it is a tense situation. kitty logan joins us on the line. no progress in the second round of talks. many are asking if this is a redundant process. saide german negotiator there had been useful talks. the feeling was that it was good to sit around the table even if they didn't agree on anything. the foreign minister told me it was an open and frank discussion, even though the talks were top. we heard from politicians from the east. they were very critical of the government. they said the referendum held last week expressed the will of the people. there is a big gap to bridge. the government is offering an

i have spent only time in the eastern regions. keep your dumb . i also knew that the old buildings in order to hear the ukrainians in the east. to understand the messages to the ukrainian government. integrated building and went to wicked witches. i want to understand what they want what kind of support they want from the new ukrainian government and we are ready to support them the percentage. i think this is one of the main issues today and i decided to look too tiny to it. despite campaigning for the elections the show and i think the time has come as one of the world's great president said. can heal the country's wounds and humiliate instead of trying to meet over to understand and to take steps towards each other is the way to return to peace. each school year. publishing and handling. you wear. one of the main characters of that around you. it can to make a comparison for our viewers that are not the only necessity ukrainian of coastal. many other countries can try to explain what these the difference between viewer and promotion. and micah t

it all comes down to whether kiev will allow some sort of decentralization to the region, especially the easternegion. >> the saint petersburg economic forum is scheduled for may 22 through the 24th. several american businesses have said they will not attend. among the big names who say they won't go -- visa, alcoa, pepsico and conoco phillips. saying theyompanies will attend our caterpillar, boeing, morgan stanley and goldman sachs. what is at stake for those who stay home and for those who go? >> the saint petersburg economic forum is a very important bellwether to see where our foreign investor's ideas and where did they see investment in russia moving forward? a certain amount of u.s. firms were expected to stay home from the same petersburg economic u.s., but there are many and european firms phil going. the guest list is fairly substantial, some of the largest firms in the world going in which president putin himself will be hosting these business leaders and investment firms. there is increased tension on the rhetorical side against the eu and the businessmen are not showing they are not

divided by a border and by a diverging language. >> you can keep up to date with the our news the eastern regions holding the vote is the story. >> in 2009 peace came to sri lanka after 26 years of civil war. >> government troops had crushed the tamil tigers - a guerrilla force which had waged a brutal insurgency seeking self-rule for the tamils c a minority making up about 12 percent of sri lanka's population mainly living here in the north.

theyraine's leaders say are ready for peaceful dialogue with representatives in the eastern region. ian separatists in the east say they will push ahead onh autonomy referendums sunday. that a calls from vladimir putin to delay the vote. -- despite calls from vladimir putin to delay the vote. 20 years after taking power under nelson mandela, the agency still enjoys strong backing among the black majority. representatives of professional football european makes say any attempt to reschedule the world cup in 2022 would damage their season. proposed moving the world cup to november or december to avoid qatar summer temperatures. britainas stores across and has cemented its reputation of the purveyor of the finest cosmetics. anna edwards spoke with the founder. the company and the early 1990's. the apothecary now operates 62 stores across the u.k. lipsticks economics of just -- suggest consumers still buy pricey makeup in tough economic times. quickly opened the doors in 1993. i think we have benefited from some of the money coming from fashion into makeup and beauty. the international b

he is quoted as saying he believes the money is being used to fund their bridges insurgency in ukraine's eastern region. the national ukraine's acting president on sunday to chino said that six more of the country's eastern region is under threat from a russian separatists on to the recent spate of buildings he says in the cities of the guns internet's to chino has admitted that ian has lost control of moline all day in several key cities saying that the event saw evidence of the quotes in action helplessness and criminal betrayal of avoiding posting all these regions including aunt eva doesn't meet the patrols are risks that you notice them on the regional and forces took on the two initial piece gives authorities are struggling to deal with it demoralized regional please it failed to quell will resist the production use and see many offices are unwilling to face the mosque on command as a result of that pain corruption and often sympathy to the ntt of rebels that the crisis on getting teaching its coleman's come is ukraine's parliament takes a break until may six as part of the maple the days of vaca

this is an international ukraine is trying to establish what really happened in the eastern region of dawn yet where fourteen soldiers were killed. a checkpoint on thursday now let's have a look at some of the latest footage to have emerged of a watch. now what you're seeing is right here ukrainian soldiers are trying to escape gunfire as they're being shot from government helicopters it's still unclear whether this was done in tension only or if it was a case of friendly fire local activists believe the attack targeted troops who refused to shoot at their own fellow countrymen during the crackdown on the daily mail reports that self defense forces have admitted to carrying out the assault here's what are you crazy and soldier on the ground was heard saying. can you contact the air force what the hell is going on the helicopters have flown by and shot in our position i have no idea if they're on our side or not they destroyed our checkpoint is full of dead bodies in the meantime preparations for sunday's presidential election are underway in ukraine's capital is artie's polis leo the

. >> reporter: here in ukraine, violence continues on tuesday in the eastern region of donetsk where e government now is trying to reclaim control of not only the airport but indeed the entire region, which was reluctant to take part in the election. the election which gave an overwhelming mandate to president-elect petro poroshenko, there are concerns that relations with russia are still very poor. in fact those concerns were shared with us by jeffrey piatt who is the u.s. ambassador to ukraine. >> there are still russian behaviors we are deeply concerned about. the violence in donetsk, terrible violence is fuelled in part by people coming over the border. we believe that needs to be maintained and are trying to do jointly with our partners, we're trying to see what washington welcomes. >> the russians say they're owed a total of $5.1 billion. the ukrainians for their part say they need to negotiate for much lower gas prices than what the russians are offering, there are real concerns, too, if there would be another round of sanctions, but the u.s. and the ue are waiting on the sanct

results confirm that people in the eastern regions want to leave ukraine. the vote has been condemned by europe, the u.s. and government in kiev. huments show people want change. 89% voted in favour of creating a people's republic with 10% against. turn out was almost 75%, and separatists are planning a second round of voting, which has been the aim all along. >> organizers say they'll prevent the donetsk region from taking part in elections on may the 25th. >> translation: we know, of course, that this vote will not be recognised internationally, by european organizations, the government and the world. we want the voices to be hard. that's why we held the vote. ukrainian presidential elections will not take place because it is illogical and wrong to hold elections. >> most of the voting passed off peacefully, one person was killed. jonah hull reports. >> reporter: this amateur footage shows gunmen firing on an unarmed crowd after reghting them from a polling saying. the tension is turning to violence on an almost cally basis now. it is unlikely to ease aft

same time he's being against what he says you said there and said that he's going to go to the eastern regions do you think he's going to find common ground with the protesters there. this will be a very interesting mission because he voted to go there as he is right now so for him to go there he has to secure the situation he is in all the he feels as the president he is the president of ukraine so the so-called operations must be enforced to secured the area for him so when he announces what i want to say when he announces it with that and with guns or internet it means clearly the clear message is that the. so-called end violence turned out by ukrainian militants by the ukrainian army and by the way as we know today also western mercenaries in service of the ukrainian government will be enforced the violence will be more to secure the situation for his p r event when he's speaking in donetsk or in new grounds on your locks and write a thank you very much for your time here and. much appreciated german journalist by your action right. now at least foreign ministry is demanding answers from k

and diplomacy are the only things that can solve the situation this crisis between kiev and the eastern regions of the country in moscow was saying that it wants to resolve this crisis in the interests of all citizens of ukraine and that all of their points of view should be taken into account in salina resolution. accused of far right radical groups. i'm not laying down their arms and also saying that yet he's not doing enough in his opinion to instigate them to lay down their arms and cease their fighting in those parts of the country's greatest part was the chairman mr burke called her saying that he was the theme is emerging a halt to fighting and hostilities in ukraine and the cure organization is planning to introduce its own roadmap to peace in ukraine such a course on tyneside iraq is poised to legalize marriage between man and girls as young as nine years old. the washington post reports that the law was approved by iraq's council of ministers of february twenty fifth and sent to parliament for passage. that was tabled until a new parliament takes office following the recent elections.

the situation in the eastern regions is unpredictable. the central election commission already stated that to stand in the quantity of fluids that lectures will be recognized which intimate. for now the top of her son corey is in the lead of the presidential race fall on to play unit tymoshenko. more details in the starring. a similar decision to withdraw from the presidential elections his crib and baby candidate of the party of regions. i love that can best a one two shows there will be no legitimate candidates from the south and east of penicillin and sees fit without such candidates elections in ukraine cannot be helped. imo it's a similar decision to withdraw from the presidential elections that made the candidate of the party of regions. i love that kid doesn't want to show there will be no legitimate candidates from the south and east of penicillin and sees fit without such candidates elections in ukraine cannot be held the teacher come and go the party of regions that he teamed up with a run for presidency is planned to present his

ukranian authorities set up polling places in the eastern region, at donetsk and lugansk. still al jazeera's dan allowize finds it casting a shadow. >> when you look at the economics, the country has been frozen for months. they want a president in place, to fire the existing parliament and hold new elections in september or october, and move towards an economic union with the yooeuropean union, trying t get the prices back. people are desperate to get the economy working, back to work, and trying to get prices back to normal. this is balanced against a harsh reality that many believe will not stop and continue to stir instability in eastern ukraine. >> there is question about what comes after the vote. pro-russian militias control parts of the east. president vladimir putin says moscow will honour the outcome of the election, it casts doubt on its legitimacy. observers note that russian forces that have been massing on the ukranian border have began to pull back. it is thick with 22 candidates. for the man nicknamed the chocolate king. the billionaire petro porashenko made

military fought back pro-russian militants trying to seize control of the largest airport in the eastern region. kiev went on the offensive with anti-terrorism forces launching air strikes on the rebels and civilians ran for cover as cl h clashes went back and forth for hours. 12 civilians reported dead. >>> the pro-russian militants say 30 rebels were killed and this comes one day after ukrainians elected petro poroshenko as their next president. he is a pro-european billionaire nicknamed the chocolate king because of his candy business. he received more than 00% of the vote thanks to large turnout in kiev and low turnout loyal to moscow. in his first move as president he's vowing to end the crisis with russia promising to offer amnesty to rebels who show they want to end the violence. >> for those who take the weapons but not using that, we are ready introduce the amnesty law. the only condition for using the amnesty law, two conditions, just no blood and disarmament. for those who are killing the people they're terrorists and no country in the world has any negotiation with a terrorist. >> m

is this precious soul is of course illegal medical groups operating in the eastern region of ukraine. and injuring civilians. soon cause for this cause the just and creating an atmosphere of terror and lemons. security as well as protection of rights and fundamental freedoms of all people look at the door to green. i mean the open era did for the garment a few green therefore purpose of the counter operation. they make you please oh please has been renewed in sundance used to isolate the little mementos from civilian population on the cd. in it the moment. all becomes a operation has required from their heavily armed illegal militants. to immediately free all hostages including the boys seem on the doors to its old patrick to minister to buildings and to stop violence and massacres ukraine ukraine over these our eighty two amnesty old and those members of militant groups who hadn't committed serious crimes. inclusive political dialogue that his book the peaceful protests of protesters remains a priority for ukrainian go. the episode the state's mid north drinks or missiles are used ag

expats in st that brainiac is most likely not to go to the situation in the eastern regions is unpredictable. the central election commission already staked it had to stand in the quantity of fluids that lectures will be recognized with you today. for now the top ten car is in the lead of the presidential race fall onto the unit tymoshenko. more details in the starring. a similar decision to withdraw from the presidential elections cheese dip and maybe candidate of the party of regions. can the state when she shows there will be no legitimate candidates from the sellers and east of penicillin and sees that no such candidates and actions in ukraine cannot be helped imo it's a similar decision to withdraw from the presidential elections has been banned by the candidate of the party of regions. i love that can cast in one scene shows there will be no legitimate candidates from the south and east of penicillin and sees that without such candidates and actions in ukraine cannot be helped the expenditure from anfield the party of regions to the depot will run for president it is claimed to represe

ukraine is trying to establish what really happened in the eastern region of donetsk where seventeen soldiers were killed in an attack on a checkpoint on thursday let's take a look at simulated footage two of the most. ok will these ukrainian soldiers trying to escape gunfire is the being shot at from ukrainian government helicopters it's still unclear whether this was done intentionally or if it was a case of so-called friendly fire local activists believe the attack targeted troops refused to shoot at their fellow countrymen though during the ongoing crackdown there blaming procured tycoon eager my ski who's openly sponsoring ukraine's national guard is what are you crazy and soldier on the ground was said to say. can you contact the air force what the hell is going on the helicopters the floored by a shot at our position i have no idea if they're on our side or not they destroyed our checkpoint is full of dead bodies. meantime british daily mail newspaper reported that the attack on the ground was organized by local self-defense squads and supported they seized a whole range of wea

what they were doing when they voted yes to self rule for the eastern regions, there were spitting in the eye of kiev, effective. it's seems to be used by the separatist leadership at legitimatization, as a mandate to do what they wanted to do all along, which is to forge closer contact with russia. >> where does that leave the presidential ballot on the 25th of may? >> well, the presidential vote will go ahead acros across the e of ukraine on may 25th. it will have difficulties here. the head of the election commission who sits in kiev said that the vote will still be valid even if they can't get polling stations up and running in many of these separatist held towns and cities in the east. that said, the sentiment in the east is that there is not really a candidate among the presidential hopefuls that would satisfy anybody here in the east. i don't think the presidential vote is going to be particularly well received even if they did manage to polling stations up here. >> we met the mexico women offering home comforts to migrants traveling illegally by train. >>> and in sports nervou

ukrainian military's response at the airport is the largest since the country's trouble in the eastern region began three months ago, and came as a shock to neighboring residents. i can't reach my home because the helicopters are shooting everywhere, this woman told us. i'm so afraid, i don't want to die, her friend said. we're peaceful people. why are ukrainian forces attacking us? >> axelrod: charlie d'agata joins us now from donetsk. charlie, what kind of connection is there if any between the election of the new president and the operation at the airport? >> reporter: well, it's not clear whether petro poroshenko had any involvement in ordering the military operation at the airport. he's not even supposed to be officially inaugurated for two weeks. what he has said is that he is calling for an urgent crackdown on armed separatists here. he said that operation should take a matter of hours, not months, and the idea of helicopter gun-ships and air strikes would fit right in to his playbook. >> axelrod: charlie, thank you. egypt's two-day president election began today. as in ukraine, the ma

we have one of the eastern regions on sunday. hi there. what happened to hose attacks today? >> well, the session started with a series of attacks on russia with president chrchinov. he said that they have resulted in an explosive situation. again, his words there. but then prime minister or interim prime minister yatsenyuk took the stage, and he played out the plans of what they thinks will bring progress. giving more power to the regions and said that in doing so held be willing to make amendments to the constitution, going on to say that that could mean perhaps some taxes were held back in the regions, and those taxes could be spent on regional issues things like infrastructure or helping local businesses. but interim president said that they are open to negotiation but not open to negotiating with what the government called terrorists. here's what he had to say. >> it is how being said we don't want to listen to the done estk region. but in order to do that there is no need to shoot, rob or seize buildings. we're open to dialogue, but they're ready for comprehensive change

you have pro-russian insurgents in ukraine planning to hold a referendum for the eastern region of the country on sunday. what is the latest on that? does it look like it's going to go forward? >> reporter: depends on who you ask. on the eastern side, they say yes, they are going ahead with it. the ukraine government says any referendum is illegitimate and won't be recognized. what is frightening people is not only that it's happening across the southeastern side is the violence in odessa as well. it's on the western side of the russian border. the fact you are seeing tremendous violence just a few days ago and gearing up for victory day on friday. that is where they are fearful tensions will be flairing again. >> not long ago, we were talking about crimea and now fears in the east, now we are talking west. you can see how it is spiraling. appreciate you reporting live for us this morning. >>> we are getting a look this morning at what americans think about flight 370 missing now for nearly two months. a new cnn poll thinks most americans think by a 2-1 margin the search for the plane

the separatists tried to take control over the eastern region in order to prevent the vote.ctually, there were clashes over the last week. there were forces of the ukrainian army. that possibility has been removed. >> the seventh of the country did not vote. how does he reassert the central bank's authority while the separatists in the south and east are claiming he is illegitimate? >> first of all, they will push a narrative of saying that is was a high turnout the rest of the country and the people in the east have been disenfranchised by the separatists. whatever the government forces were in control, they tried to enforce the vote. maybe 15% of polling stations were open in donetsk and fewer in luhansk if any. what is the top of his to-do list? >> this first trip as a primitive -- as a president will be to donetsk. the second thing on this list will probably be changes of the constitution that they had been going through. that will come in september/october. atwill probably looking early elections at some point. >> president putin surprised us all on friday when he said

fifty seven percent of the vote on election which eastern regions refused to take part amid the ongoing military crackdown there. a shake up in the european parliament skeptic and far right parties make sweeping gains across the continent and a vote that's being dubbed a political earthquake. plus among the week's top stories russia and china strike a landmark deal worth four hundred billion dollars in small schools largest energy contract in decades as it turns its business priorities eastward. has just gone seven am this monday morning here in moscow good morning you're watching our international i mean on the. our top story italy's foreign ministry is demanding answers from kiev over the death of an italian journalist in the village of three africa in eastern ukraine during a mortar attack and that is the first reporter to have been killed in the conflict the thirty year old was covering the events in ukraine us a photo journalist for the news agency he was with his interpreter on a french colleague when their car came under fire the interpreter was also killed injured and managed to

the eastern ukrainian regions are quite different. rmous amount of discontent with the government especially after the launching of the operation against the so-called separatists, but there's also very little feeling towards joining russia but there is great, great thirst for autonomy. >> we know the interim president has warned that if they move forward with this vote and it actually passes, there are going to be some consequences. he said he would cut the residents off from the national economy, cut them off from social programs and he said, "it's a step nowhere for these regions. it say euphoria that may lead to some complex consequences." what are we talking about? what could happen next? >> this is a threat that is not going to help the kiev government. the same thing as with the military operation that's been launched against people in eastern ukraine. i don't think that ukraine will follow through, the kiev government will follow through, rather, with the threats because it needs the eastern regions. they are the biggest contri

unity talks began on wednesday, hoping to resolve the crisis by finding a formula satisfying the eastern regions, where the separatists want autonomy or the government in kiev want central authority, how can the talks square that circle. what kind of compromise could they reach to calm things down and move forward? >> i don't think a compromise is that far out of reach. there was a consistent message from prime minister yat -- arseniy yatsenyuk, and the acting president oleksandr turchynov, and everywhere else, supporting the principal of authority, the principal of driving down decision making, the principle of making sure the government works or everyone. no one is talking about concentrating and centralizing. that was an unfortunate development of the viktor yanukovych years. at this point there's a consensus on a road ahead involving the revision of the constitution and meaningful devaluation of authority. there was a depp utation by the deputy prime minister who is leading the effort to advance the goal of devery well use. and as the deputy prime minister puts it to build structures of garc

be forced to acknowledge internally the they're facing the level of agreement among the people these eastern regions that will prove it rather difficult who to deal with by force. around four hundred mercenaries from the private u.s. security firm academy are involved in the operation against anti-government activists in ukraine that is according to a report in the german newspaper billets sontag citing an intelligence source earlier the german intelligence service told the government about the mercenaries evolvement in the operation however it's not clear who commands and who pays the private military contractors i can to be formally known as blackwater gained notoriety after alleged atrocities committed during the iraq war the fermat earlier been accused of involvement in ukrainian crisis on unverified video that supposedly shows us private contractors in the city of donetsk emerged in march the men in the footage are heavily armed and wearing combat gear with no insignia whatsoever the security company has not commented on the latest revelations but previously denied any involvement in the ukrain

they went on to say that the prosecutor general has warned city council members in the eastern regions that they will be held criminally responsible for their actions to do with this referendum. they went on to say they believe that in the coming days, representatives from the east or self appointed representatives will come out and give some fake results and they also mentioned that they believe no more than two-thirds of people in the territory have not participated in this referendum. we have heard in recent days from interim president. he said that a vote for independence or independence in the east would be a step toward the abyss. he said he believes independence would be the total collapse of not only the economy and social programs but, also, of the way of life for many ukrainians. >> thanks for that, kim. let's move on to other news now. >>> at least 11 yemeni soldiers have been killed in the city of mukula in the southern part of the country. three gun men have been killed after they tried to attack a security checkpoint near the presidential palace in the capital. live in sa

. >>> let's pivot to the crisis in ukraine n a matter of hours, people in ukraine's eastern region willhe polls to vote on whether to declare its sovereignty. the vote by pro-russian separatists would make the eastern region independent from the government in kiev. the referendum follows deadly violence friday. at least seven people were killed in clashes in maripol. richard engel is monitoring all of this for us from donetsk, ukraine. do we know what effect yesterday's violence will have on tomorrow's vote? >> reporter: i think it's also important to understand, craig, this is not a normal vote. the ukrainian government does not recognize this vote. the u.s. doesn't recognize it. europe doesn't recognize it. the only people who will actually accept the legitimacy of this referendum will be certain separatists here in eastern ukraine and very likely moscow. so this is not a normal election. there are no international monitors here. there are no official polling stations. it is an ad hoc referendum that is being held by a fairly large number of separatists here in order to move their cas

putin will accept the results on the condition that ukraine's eastern region be allowed to be autonomousrobbing the presidency of much of its power. many say if putin is indeed pulling back, it's because he loeths chaos. but he does do a good job of creating it. the judo wrestling kgb'ing geopolitical bent newar is on the cover of "time" magazine co-authored by michael crowley. michael, it seems like part of what has happened here is putin has gotten what he wanted. he didn't want ukraine to become part of nato. and he's created enough leverage that he can sort of ruin the presidency or delegitimize the presidency of ukraine and get control over the eastern regions he wanted. thus keeping ukraine from joining nato. but doing so in a way that doesn't force the west to come in in a much stronger way economically, or even worse, militarily. he's a sly dog here. >> he really is sly. and he's effective. and he has had the west on its heels throughout this process. and you're exactly right, he seems to have achieved his obvious goals. he's doing now, if he really is kind of stepping back and t

in the eastern region of donetsk, which has declared independence, fewer than a quarter of the polling were opened and pro-russian militants held protests there today. i'm joined by the former ambassador to ukraine william taylor. i'm also joined by thomas pickering, the former u.s. undersecretary of state for affairs. ambassador, i want to begin with you. is there a way of describing the mood there? is there mostly apprehension or excitement during today's voting? >> there is definitely excitement. now, i have to tell you, i'm down in a region of the country that is now on the border of crimea and it's in the southern part of the country and generally has been in the eastern area. and i am amazed at the excitement in the air, not apprehension. the ukrainians here are so ex litt exhilarated for having participated in this vote. >> thomas, is this encouraging to you? >> yes, it is, fredricka. i think bill's report of excitement may be in an area where there may be russian separatists hanging around is a useful point, despite the fact that the reports from donetsk is that the separatists

with drew from that election. >> reporter: we're getting the first reports of turnout, at of 3:00 local time, 41% a good start but eastern regions 9%. nick paton walsh, only 1/5th of polling stations open, intame da -- intimidation of voters. is anyone turning out to vote? >> no, the last count was a quarter of polling stations. even there, only 11% of registered voters have actually turned out. we've seen something quite different today, jim. a remarkable sign how involved russia is in the unrest. vladimir putin said today's ed elections should be respected. i met a militant working with the shep separatests. they were there to serve the interest. let's hear exactly what he had to say to me. it's almost impossible to learn how a policeman armed could have gotten into ukraine where he says he's from without some sort of russian government here, jim? >> nick paton walsh where it's hard to see how a successful election can take place in that country today. many challenges to today's crucial national vote, a chance to restore peace and a functioning government to ukraine after so many months of instability, violence. we've spoken t

think about the eastern region of ukraine. it is a territory with the size of hungary or any other central european country. could we serials talk that several thousands of people or terrorists can speak on behalf of the whole region? i think most of the ukrainians understand that a national referendum could be a good solution for solving many political issues. but it should be done in a legal way, in a proper way, with and without people who carry kalashnikovs in the cities of eastern ukraine. >> they were not carrying guns, not terrorists, were simply pro-russian separatists who want to be aligned with russia, doesn't want to have it done violently. not everybody who voted sunday was a terrorist right? >> let's speak numbers, one of the cities strong host of credit separatists, is a city of six or 700,000 people who live there, polling stations. is it the proper way to represent the way the people feel there? my feeling is people are really horrified with all the events happening there. they want to get all the armed people a

a poll finding two-thirds of people dislike the authorities. 18% wanted the eastern region to ses seed to russia. >> of course we approve the referendum. what else can we do. i'm so worried about how ukraine, our country. we want peace and calm and want to work as we did before. >> if i go, i would vote no, because i find the referendum totally unacceptable because there are no observers, control, no voters' lists, one can vote as many times as he wants. it's not a referendum, it's a mess. >> a mess is what it is here in mariapolt after a raid by ukranian security forces. seven were killed. though the circumstances are disputed, the aftermath is clear to see. people here were hostile to the kiev government - now they are seething with rage. on sunday the anger will be vented through the polling stations. >>> i speak with richard white, from the hudson institute, and i ask fundament it could be considered legitimate. >> there's no guarantee of multiple voting. there's not going to be international sprfgs. it's spontaneous separatists to draw up support. >> what are the implications once

eastern ukraine. the region of eastern ukraine is also seen mass protests against the post-coup government in kiev it's also planned to hold a referendum but decided to suspend it just a few days ago the move followed the russian president's calls for a delay until conditions improve and dialogue with kiev is possible. but we asked the representatives of southeastern ukraine and pro federalization supporters to postpone the referendum on the region's autonomy settled for the eleventh of may this year. during a meeting with the current chief of the organization for security and cooperation in europe putin also assured russian troops are no longer near the ukrainian border he also said the key to resolving tensions is for the rest of southeast and kiev to talk and political analyst and russia expert martin mccauley believes there are signs something can be achieved the position seems to be that russia would welcome the election were president and then begin to negotiate with him negotiated settlement to the to the

the donetsk people's republic says that now they've declared independence. are you seeing after this weekend's vote any tangible signs of this new independent eastern region? >> reporter: not really. it's much the same. they've taken over the regional administration building now for several weeks, several months, really, and they're sort of administering, if you were, behind barbed wire barricades. what we are seeing is an increasing tension on the streets here. even though life seems to be going on as normal, outside the city, across the region there are checkpoints being set up by both ukrainian troops and by pro-russian groups. wand that increasing tension, there is the fear that there could be more violence, more lawlessness. just an hour and a half from here a few days ago, we saw a number of people killed in an outbreak of violence there. and the fear here is that with this declaration of independence, that violence could erupt again and is likely to erupt as we get closer and closer to the may 25th general election here. >> so, there's this cnn poll that i mentioned just a few moments ago, atika, that found that 37% of respondents wanted to join russ