Defying the West, Russia Backs Ukrainian Elections

Though rejected by the West, Russia says it “respected” the results of elections that were held in the rebel-held eastern provinces of Ukraine Sunday. The election marks the latest event in the on-going fight for control of the region.

Separatist leaders in Donetsk and Luhansk won elections in those provinces. Aleksandr Zakharchenko, who had been prime minister of the Donetsk People’s Republic separatist region, was elected head of the region with 78 percent of the vote. Voters in Luhansk elected Igor Plotnitsky with 63 percent.

Read the full article at U.S. News and World Report.