Sourced by Alexander Turcan
Ukrainians in the eastern city of
Donetsk have voted in an online spoof referendum to secede from Ukraine and
join the UK. Residents wrote that their hometown was founded by a Briton, so
the UK should seize this “decisive moment” and take them in.
"Donetsk is a British city! God
Save the Queen," they
wrote on social networks in an appeal to “reunite” their hometown with
Britain, local media reported. The mock appeal follows the March 16 Crimean referendum
that resulted in Crimea seceding Ukraine and joining Russia.
The link with Britain comes from the
first ironworks in Donetsk, which were founded by a Welshman, John Hughes, at
the end in the 19th century. The town was subsequently named
Yuzovka, or Hughesovka.
According to local media, the online
poll attracted about 7,000 people, while over 950,000 call Donetsk their home,
according to a 2012 census.
A some point, the poll showed that 61
percent of respondents favored joining Britain, while another 16 percent
favored "broad regional autonomy" with English as an official
language.