(CNN) -- Ukraine's Donetsk region will ask Russia to let it join the Russian Federation, rather than hold a separate referendum on the matter, the region's self-declared leader said Monday. This comes after a weekend referendum in which pro-Russian organizers claim that voters overwhelmingly supported independence from Ukraine. (CNN) -- Nearly 90% of voters in the Donetsk region voted in favor of independence from Ukraine, and 10% voted against it, an election official claimed Monday. Pro-Russian separatists eager to declare independence from Kiev held the vote Sunday. A similar question was put to voters in Luhansk. Preliminary results were expected Monday, officials said. Acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov slammed the results. Ukraine expats vote in Moscow Some Ukraine voters seen voting twice Controversial vote in eastern Ukraine "This propagandist farce will not have any legal consequences, only criminal responsibility of its organizers," Turchynov said in a statement Monday. "That farce the terrorists call a referendum is nothing else but a propagandist cover for killings, kidnapping, violence and other grave crimes," he said. He reiterated that his government will continue fighting against "terrorists, saboteurs and criminals" but will negotiate with those in eastern Ukraine "who do not have blood on their hands and those who are ready to defend their goals and beliefs in a legal way." A vote for autonomy is a vote for the self-destruction of the east, Turchynov has said. It would cut residents off from the national economy and social programs, he said. "It is a step (to) nowhere for these regions. It is euphoria that may lead to very complex consequences, and many people can already feel them." The vote is a stark contrast to recent polling by the Pew Research Center, which found that 70% of people in eastern Ukraine want the country to remain united. If voters agree to secede from Ukraine, the next logical step is another referendum in the next several months on joining Russia, said Boris Litvinov, head of the People's Republic of Donetsk Central Election Committee. Polls close amid allegations of fraud and double-voting Russia welcomed the vote. "Moscow respects the will of the population of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and hopes that the practical implementation of the outcome of the referendums will proceed along civilized lines, without repeat outbreaks of violence," the Kremlin said in a statement. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Monday that "those referendums don't count." He called the vote "illegal." The referendum was "organized in a chaotic manner with dubious and ambiguous questions," he said, adding that the only "thing that counts" is Ukraine's planned presidential election on May 25. "I urge all actors to make sure that those general elections can be conducted in an orderly manner," Rasmussen said. He said that he feels NATO and its allies have sent a "very clear message to Moscow" and assured its allies. Recently U.S. Army forces have been deployed to Poland and three Baltic states. Amanpour challenged Rasmussen, asking him whether he thought that was enough to demonstrate "heft." Rasmussen responded that NATO is in the "process of considering further steps." "Those further steps might include an update of existing defense plans, development of new defense plans, enhanced exercises and also appropriate deployment," he said. It's too early, he said, to describe anything more specifically, "but we will not hesitate to take further steps if needed," he said. U.S. exercises in Poland: What's the message? German Chancellor Angela Merkel also described the referendum as illegitimate and said the focus should be on the May 25 presidential election in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the European Union imposed sanctions related to the Ukraine crisis on another 13 people, bringing the total number to 61, an EU diplomat said Monday. Details about the sanctions given to the 13 weren't immediately available, but previously announced sanctions included asset freezes and visa bans. The diplomat did not name the newly sanctioned people or reveal their nationalities. Previous targets included Dmitry Kozak, Russia's deputy prime minister; Valery Gerasimov, Russia's military chief; and pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, including Denis Pushilin, the self-declared leader of the Donetsk People's Republic. The EU also has imposed sanctions on two entities in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine this year, the diplomat said Monday. Merkel and French President Francois Hollande have warned that Russia could face more consequences if the Ukrainian presidential vote does not go ahead as planned. "If no internationally recognized presidential election were to take place, this would inevitably further destabilize the country," Merkel said. In that case, she said, "we are ready to take further sanctions against Russia." Merkel and Hollande also said that Russian troops along the Ukrainian border "should undertake visible steps to reduce their readiness." Putin announced a troop pullback Wednesday, but NATO says it has seen no signs of a withdrawal of Russian forces from the border area. Russia annexed the southern region of Crimea after announced results in a separatist referendum showed more than 90% in favor of joining Russia. In an independent Pew survey, 54% of Crimea residents showed support for secession. The Kremlin has said that it has no interest in annexing other parts of Ukraine. But it is pushing for the country to adopt a constitution that would give regions where Russian is widely spoken a larger voice in policy-making. Critics fear that the creation of autonomous pro-Russian regions in Ukraine would cement alliances with the Kremlin that would give it essential control over them.
Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN) -- Polls closed Sunday after voters streamed into polling stations in eastern Ukraine to vote in controversial referendums held by pro-Russian activists eager to declare independence from Kiev, an official said. Voters in the city of Donetsk faced this question on the ballot: "Do you support the Act of Independence of the People's Republic of Donetsk?" The options are "yes" or "no." A similar question is being put to voters in Luhansk. Many of the voters were not on the outdated registration lists but were allowed to vote after showing identification documents. There also seemed to be no system in place to prevent one person from voting at multiple polling stations. A CNN crew saw several people vote twice at one polling station, where the ballot boxes were decorated with new Donetsk independence flags. Photos: Crisis in Ukraine Russian military pride on full display Pro-Russian militants plan to defy Putin GPS: Did Putin plan the Crimea invasion? There was also a report of video showing three men arrested near Slovyansk with boxes of "yes" ballots in their car. But in a Sunday afternoon news conference, the head of the People's Republic of Donetsk Central Election Committee, Boris Litvinov, disputed reports that people were voting twice in some areas. Litivinov said the lines were so long that many people had a hard time voting once, let alone twice. He also denied the report about ballot fraud. Litvinov said there was no reason for pro-Russian activists to cheat because voter turnout was so high. The polls were told to stay open for 14 hours, rather than the usual 12, to allow time to add people to the voter list if necessary, the election committee said, adding that access to the most recent electoral rolls has been barred by Kiev. Litvinov was the official to announce that polls had closed. Results are expected later. Two incidents heightened tensions at polling places Sunday. Rubber bullets were fired into the air at a station in Donetsk, said election committee member Sergey Tretyakov. Tretyakov also said police in Krasnoarmeysk tried to prevent people from voting. The central government in Kiev has declared the polls illegal. Russia's mixed messages The message coming from Moscow on the referendum appears mixed. Russian police officers oversaw voting at a Moscow polling station erected for expat Ukrainians to vote in the Donetsk and Luhansk referendums. But last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin also urged the pro-Russian sympathizers to delay the referendum to give dialogue "the conditions it needs to have a chance." Putin's unexpected call appears to have dented the confidence of some pro-Russian activists. However, representatives of the pro-Russian groups in Donetsk and Luhansk voted to go ahead with it. Meanwhile, in Slovyansk, a Russian government-controlled TV channel was periodically showing a banner along the bottom of the screen that told viewers where they can vote in Sunday's referendum. That channel, Russia 24, is available over the air to residents of Donetsk, who can access it in their homes. The banner listed the location and voting hours and advised voters to bring a passport. The banner was shown only on the Russia 24 channel, not on other channels.
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