Donetsk separates from Ukraine following the 89.7% support in the referendum

Roman Lyagin, head of the Central Election Commission, shows the results of the referendum

The Donetsk region has declared this Monday its independence from Ukraine, a day after the referendum in which the 89.7% of voters supported this option, and have requested to be integrated to Russia.

The independence declaration has been made by the self-proclaimed “provisional government” of Donetsk, a region located in the Southeast of Ukraine with a majority population of native Russian.

In a press conference, Denis Pushilin, co-President of the self-proclaimed “People’s Republic of Donetsk”, has also asked Moscow to consider the integration of the newly independent state to the Russian Federation.

“We, the people of the People’s Republic of Donetsk, according to the results of the referendum held on May 11th 2014 and by virtue of the sovereignity declaration of the RPD, declare that this is a sovereign state,” says the proclamation, read by Pushilin.