NEW YORK TIMES: ….On Sunday, the people of the rebel-held Luhansk and Donetsk regions will be asked to vote in local elections, which the Ukrainian government says are illegal, to elect a new government that Russia has promised to recognize. What remains to be seen is whether the Russian-backed rump state that is likely to emerge will be able to govern and restore a region torn by war.
It is not clear where the regions will get the money to rebuild. In the absence of a basic agreement on the degree of autonomy the eastern governments will exercise, Kiev has cut off pension payments and is withholding funds for reconstruction. Russia has shown little interest in underwriting the area, since it remains a part of Ukraine.
It is also unclear whom the regions’ residents would choose to lead them, if they could vote freely. In Sunday’s elections, however, there is little choice — all of the candidates are rebel leaders… (more)
