SIMFEROPOL (AFP) – An overwhelming 93 percent of Crimeans voted Sunday to become part of Russia in a referendum deemed illegal by the new authorities in Ukraine and most of the internatinal community, exit polls showed.

“Ninety-three percent of Crimean residents have supported the attachment of Crimea to Russia in the referendum. This is the data given by the exit polls,” Crimea’s pro-Moscow authorities said.

Crimea’s pro-Moscow leader Sergiy Aksyonov on Sunday said the region’s disputed referendum to break from Ukraine and join Russia “will go down in history”.

“Today we took a very important decision that will go down in history,” Aksyonov tweeted after an exit poll indicated that 93 percent of people had voted for Moscow.

More details soon