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| Europe |
| Sevastopol Toasts End of Ukraine 'Occupation' after Crimea Vote |
| 2014-03-17 |
| [An Nahar] Russian flags were flying high in the historic naval city of Sevastopol Sunday as people looked forward to rejoining what many see as their homeland after a crunch referendum on Crimea's future. Several thousand people -- many waving the white, blue and red Russian standard or holding flowers -- gathered for a celebratory concert in the city's Nakhimov Square, named after one of Russia's most illustrious admirals. Shortly after polling closed, exit polls confirmed what spectators never doubted and showed that 93 percent of voters favored joining Russia and breaking away from Ukraine. "We're free of the occupation," shouted Lucia Prokorovna, 60, carrying a giant Russian flag. "Ukraine was attached to Crimea like a sack of potatoes. Today I visited the polling station -- I only slept half the night hoping for the moment we would be with Russia." Russian rock band Lubeh, known for their patriotic songs, were at the event, drawing a young crowd who cheered as lead singer Igor Matvienko shouted "HurrahSevastopol!" and "Success for you!" between songs. |
| Posted by:Fred |