epa04128942 People react on Lenin Square after the end of a referendum in Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine, 16 March 2014. More than 90 per cent of Crimeans voted for the Ukrainian region’s accession to Russia, according to an exit poll published after a controversial referendum ended on 16 March. The referendum was widely condemned by Western governments, who referred to it as ‘illegal’. The European Union and the US threatened sanctions against Russia, which they accuse of invading and annexing the Ukrainian territory. EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV