Divisions continue in eastern Ukraine

During the elections, Ukrainian and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) sources differed in the manner each side portrayed their historical and political allegiances. Graffiti on Donetsk streets refers to the Kyiv government as the fascist "Bandera junta."

The DPR rallies attract individuals of a particular demographic: those were born during the Soviet era. Russian citizens have also participated at Events, as have Chechen veterans.

Roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Donetsk, Ukrainian soldiers patrol the city center in the town of Dobropillia. Marching from the community centre (Dom Kultury), the designated voting center, the soldiers keep tab on the city's security.

In contrast to Donetsk, where people were either indirectly stopped from voting or voting stations were closed, hundreds of Dobropillia voters, families and the elderly, cast their ballots.

Dobropillia is in the western part of the Donetsk Region. It is a pro-Ukrainian town with support from the Ukrainian military.

Though the western part of the Donetsk region is under Ukrainian control, eastern areas are still effectively in the hands of Donetsk People's Republic militias. This Ukrainian soldier waits to be airlifted to Dnepropetrovsk. He was in a serious but stable condition, but small towns do not offer adequate facilities for seriously injured personnel.

Elena, a poll worker at the Dobropillia voting center, said that many who had decided to come out to vote feel and believe that it is their duty to participate in the election, in order to preserve democracy, to protect their families and to have a say in the country's future.

At the Oleksandrivka voting station in the north western part of the Donetsk region, even though the conversation takes place in Russian, this young woman presented her Ukrainian passport to the poll worker. She said she believes that peace will prevail as long as Ukraine remains one united nation.

A member of the Ukrainian army holds his automatic rifle while smoking his cigarette. He wishes to remain anonymous, he explains further - not to conceal his identity from members of the separatist movements, but to avoid his relatives from discovering his frontline position.

A Ukrainian military armored vehicle is positioned by a roadblock. The roadblock is manned by a Ukrainian policeman, but the Ukrainian army provides backup in strategic areas.

The soldiers are in good spirits, but they understand the risks and dangers. In smaller towns nearer to the eastern region, tensions remain high, and many military members have seen action.

As all voting stations closed at 8pm, in Selydove, in the western part of Donetsk, the poll workers' responsibilities switched over to vote counting. In this relatively small town, the counting took just under 2 hours. A pro-Kyiv candidate was the resounding winner here.