This from CNN - Russia
Independent observers from the Russian Federation did not recognize the Donetsk poll
13 мая 2014A poll of the population in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, which its organizers called a referendum and on the basis of the results of which they declared the independence of these regions, raises great doubts about the legitimacy - such a statement was made in Moscow at a press conference by Russian independent experts.
The press conference, which took place in the Rosbalt agency, was attended by State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev, leader of the movement "For Human Rights" Lev Ponomarev, as well as the head of the Interregional Association of Voters, co-chairman of the movement "GOLOS" Andrei Buzin. All of them were at the time of the referendum in Donbass.
Thus, according to Andrei Buzin, the violations in the organization and holding of this referendum were so great that "there is no need to talk about turnout." At the same time, according to the expert, its organizers decided that the results of the referendum will be valid for any turnout, which, according to the expert, contradicts all world practice.
Nevertheless, as both Ilya Ponomarev and Lev Ponomarev have stated, Kiev should begin negotiations with separatist leaders in the name of calm, despite all doubts about the legitimacy of the referendum results.
Moscow reacted favorably to this survey, however, the Kremlin's press service said that it now expects the practical implementation of the results of the referendums, which should take place "without any recurrence of violence through a dialogue between representatives of Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that the referendum has no legal significance and its results will not have any legal consequences for the territorial integrity and structure of Ukraine.
The European Union also categorically did not accept the results of the survey in two regions of the eastern part of Ukraine.
"Turnout cannot be determined"Ilya Ponomarev called the turnout in the referendum "large", making a reservation that the 70 percent that the organizers are talking about "do not exist at all."
According to his own estimates, in the two referendums the turnout was about 40 percent, which, however, is quite a lot.
At the same time, he noted that those queues in front of polling stations, which fell into the lenses of television cameras, were created artificially, since there were too few polling stations.
Andriy Buzin said that the provision according to which the results of the polls will be valid for all citizens of Ukraine and state bodies without any approval in any turnout does not correspond to the world practice of holding referendums and is likely to cause great claims.
He explained that, usually, in particular in Russia, during referendums their result is recognized only with a 50 percent turnout.
At the same time, according to Andrei Buzin, it is simply impossible to make any objective opinion about the turnout in referendums in two areas.
"It is impossible to verify this for sure, no one will ever know what the turnout was. I am sure that the official election commission does not know this, since they did not have the opportunity to collect this data from all points," Ilya Ponomarev supported him.
https://www.bbc.com/russian/international/2014/05/140513_russian_experts_donbass_vote