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Crimeans flock to the polls for the region's secession referendum.
Condemned as "illegal" by Kiev and the West but backed by Moscow, the vote will decide
whether Crimea breaks away from Ukraine and joins Russia.
Since the fall of the country's pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych, Russian troops
have effectively taken control of Crimea with Ukraine's acting defence minister saying on
Sunday that they now number up to 22,000.
That, along with Crimea's pro-Russian leaders and an ethnic Russian majority, is expected
to result in a comfortable "Yes" vote to leave Ukraine. A move that could prompt U.S. and
European sanctions as early as Monday.
Provisional results will be released late on Sunday with the final tally expected several
days later.