As expected, Crimea has voted to rejoin Russia:
Some 95.5% of voters in Crimea have supported joining Russia, officials say. after half the votes have been counted in a disputed referendum.
Crimea's leader says he will apply to join Russia on Monday. Russia's Vladimir Putin has said he will respect the Crimean people's wishes.
Which is exactly the result you get when you have a "vote" with no "Nyet" option happening under Russian guns. But Russia doesn't need the result to be internationally credible - all it needs is a number it can wave in its state-controlled press to "justify" annexation domestically.
The next question: will Russia now try the same scam of destabilisation and stealth invasion in Eastern Ukraine?
