Ukraine: Crimea parliament pushes independence Earlier on Tuesday, Crimea's Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of adopting a declaration of independence from Ukraine.
The vote about Sunday's referendum, which parliamentary speaker Vladimir Konstantinov said he expected to see passed with 80 percent support, could give Russia the option of not having to absorb Crimea while still keeping the peninsula in its sphere of influence. The referendum on Sunday gives voters the option of Crimea either becoming part of Russia, where Moscow bases its Black Sea Fleet, or remaining in Ukraine but with broader powers. Like the OSCE, Ukraine's interim government in Kyiv has declared the measure illegal. It has also announced plans to dissolve Crimea's parliament. Crimea's Parliament has said if the region votes to join Russia it'll declare itself independent and propose to become part of Russia. Europe's security and democracy watchdog has called the upcoming referendum illegal.
