A pro-Russian soldier is backdropped by Russia's flag while manning a machine gun outside an Ukrainian military base in Perevalne, Ukraine, on March 15. Rising tensions in Ukraine have centered on Crimea, a peninsula in the country's southeast where local officials have declared their allegiance to Russia and armed men have blockaded Ukrainian military sites. But tensions have also spilled over into other parts of the country. 
Members of a pro-Russian self-defense unit watch and applaud as a groom and a bride share a kiss at the central square of Sevastopol, Crimea, on Saturday, March 15. 
A pro-Russian soldier guards the perimeter outside an Ukrainian military base in Perevalne on March 15. Perevalne is on the Crimean Peninsula. 
Two puppies wearing the colors of Ukraine's national flag smell each other during a dog reunion at the Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 15. 
Russian flags wave in front of a monument dedicated to Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin during a pro-Russian rally in Lenin Square in Simferopol on March 15. 
Evgenyi Batyukhov cries on March 14, at the site where pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian activists clashed the night before in Donetsk, Ukraine. 
A line of policemen stand in front of a bus of pro-Ukrainian activists as pro-Russian supporters confront them during a rally in Donetsk on Thursday, March 13. 
Pro-Russian supporters clash with pro-Ukrainian activists in Donetsk on March 13. 
Recent Academy Award winner Jared Leto walks through Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 13. During his Oscars acceptance speech in early March, the actor spoke to protesters in Ukraine and Venezuela saying, "We're thinking of you tonight." 
A member of a pro-Russian self-defense unit checks a polling station near Simferopol, Ukraine, on March 13. 
A Ukrainian soldier looks out of the window of a regional military building with a poster reading "Ukraine's armed forces wait for you!" in Donetsk on March 13. 
An armed Cossack stands guard at a checkpoint on the road from Simferopol to Sevastopol on March 13. Security measures are tightening around Simferopol, Crimea's capital, as the pro-Russian regional government prepares to hold a referendum to break away from Ukraine. The standoff has revived concerns of a return to Cold War relations. 
A pro-Russian soldier speaks to a truck driver outside the Ukrainian infantry base in Perevalne, a village in Crimea, on Wednesday, March 12. 
Cossacks stand guard at Crimea's regional parliament building in Simferopol on March 12. 
Soldiers are seen aboard the Ukrainian ship Slavutych in the harbor of Sevastopol on Tuesday, March 11. 
Ukrainian naval officers board a boat in front of the Russian minesweeper Turbinist in Sevastopol's harbor on March 11. 
People shout slogans during a pro-Russia rally in Donetsk on Sunday, March 9. 
Ukrainian police detain a demonstrator during a pro-Russian rally in Donetsk on March 9. 
Pro-Russia protesters remove a Ukrainian flag from a flagpole taken from a government building in Donetsk on March 9. 
Cossacks and other pro-Russian forces stand guard outside a government building in Simferopol on Saturday, March 8. 
Ukrainian soldiers load armored personnel carriers into boxcars in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on March 8. 
Armed men believed to be Russian military march in a village outside Simferopol on Friday, March 7. 
Pro-Russia protesters demonstrate outside the Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, on Thursday, March 6. 
A Ukrainian navy officer looks at the scuttled, decommissioned Russian vessel Ochakov from the Black Sea shore outside the town of Myrnyi, Ukraine, on March 6. Russian naval personnel scuttled the ship, blockading access for five Ukrainian naval vessels. 
A member of the Russian military patrols around Perevalne on March 6. 
Servicemen guard a checkpoint at a Ukrainian navy base in Perevalne on March 6. 
Ukrainian troops guard the Belbek air base on March 6. 
A woman walks past barricades March 6 that were set up by anti-government protesters in Kiev's Independence Square. 
A sailor guards the Ukrainian Navy ship Slavutych in the Bay of Sevastopol on Wednesday, March 5. 
People wait in line for food distribution in Independence Square on March 5. 
Ukrainian sailors carry meat to their vessel in the Sevastopol harbor on March 5. 
Riot police stand at the entrance of a regional administrative building during a rally in Donetsk on March 5. 
A Ukrainian police officer gives instructions to members of the media in front of the business class lounge of the Simferopol airport on March 5. 
Pro-Russia demonstrators wave a Russian flag after storming a regional administrative building in Donetsk on March 5. 
Demonstrators break a police barrier as they storm a regional administrative building in Donetsk on March 5. 
Ukrainian military recruits line up to receive instructions in Kiev's Independence Square on Tuesday, March 4. 
People stand on the Ukrainian Navy ship Slavutych while it's at harbor in Sevastopol on March 4. Mattresses were placed over the side of the ship to hinder any attempted assault. 
Ukrainian troops watch as a Russian navy ship blocks the entrance of the Ukrainian navy base in Sevastopol on March 4. 
A woman photographs pro-Russian soldiers guarding Ukraine's infantry base in Perevalne on March 4. 
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, wearing a blue scarf, visits a shrine March 4 for the people who were killed in February during anti-government protests in Kiev. 
Yuli Mamchun, the commander of the Ukrainian military garrison at the Belbek air base near Sevastopol, salutes on March 4. 
Russian soldiers stand guard at the Belbek air base on March 4. 
Ukrainian military members march at the Belbek air base on March 4. 
Russian soldiers fire warning shots to keep back Ukrainian military members at the Belbek air base on March 4. 
A Ukrainian airman puts the Ukrainian national flag over the gate of the Belbek air base as they guard what's left under their control on March 4. 
Russian soldiers aim a grenade launcher and machine gun as they guard positions at the Belbek air base on March 4. 
Ukrainian seamen stand guard on the Ukrainian navy ship Slavutych in the Sevastopol harbor on Monday, March 3. 
Oleg, a Ukrainian soldier, kisses his girlfriend, Svetlana, through the gates of the Belbek base entrance on March 3. Tensions are high at the base, where Ukrainian soldiers were standing guard inside the building while alleged Russian gunmen were standing guard outside the gates. 
Wives of Ukrainian soldiers walk past Russian soldiers to visit their husbands guarding a military base in Perevalne on March 3. 
A Russian soldier guards an area outside Ukraine's military base in the village of Perevalne on March 3. 
A sailor looks out a window near the entrance to the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 3. 
Armed men in military uniform walk outside a Ukrainian military unit near Simferopol on Sunday, March 2. Hundreds of armed men in trucks and armored vehicles surrounded the Ukrainian base Sunday in Crimea, blocking its soldiers from leaving. 
Soldiers walk outside a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne as a local resident waves a Russian flag March 2. 
Demonstrators shout during a rally in Kiev's Independence Square on March 2. 
Ukrainian soldiers, left, and unidentified gunmen, right, stand at the gate of an infantry base in Perevalne on March 2. 
Ukrainian soldiers guard a gate of an infantry base in Perevalne on March 2. 
A woman cries during a rally in Independence Square on March 2. 
Protesters hold flags of the United States, Germany and Italy during a rally in Independence Square on March 2. 
People attend a morning prayer service at Independence Square on March 2. 
A soldier and a truck driver unload bread outside the Ukranian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 2. 
Heavily armed troops, displaying no identifying insignia and who were mingling with local pro-Russian militants, stand guard outside a local government building in Simferopol on March 2. 
A woman waits in front of unidentified men in military fatigues who were blocking a base of the Ukrainian frontier guard unit in Balaklava, Ukraine, on Saturday, March 1. 
U.S. President Barack Obama, in the Oval Office of the White House, talks on the phone March 1 with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 
Troops stand guard in Balaklava on March 1. 
Heavily armed soldiers displaying no identifying insignia maintain watch in Simferopol on March 1. 
People gather around the coffin of a man who was killed during clashes with riot police in Independence Square. 
Pro-Russian activists hold Russian flags during a rally in the center of Donetsk on March 1. 
Pro-Russian activists clash with Maidan supporters as they storm the regional government building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 1. 
A protester stands at a memorial March 1 for the people killed in clashes at Independence Square. 
Armed men patrol outside the Simferopol International Airport on Friday, February 28. 
An image provided to CNN by a local resident shows Russian tanks on the move in Sevastopol. 
Russian troops block a road February 28 toward the military airport in Sevastopol. The Russian Black Sea Fleet is based at the port city. 
Armed men stand guard in front of a building near the Simferopol airport on February 28. 
An armed man wearing no identifying insignia patrols outside Simferopol International Airport on February 28. 
Police stand guard outside the Crimea regional parliament building Thursday, February 27, in Simferopol. Armed men seized the regional government administration building and parliament in Crimea. 
Police intervene as Russian supporters gather in front of the parliament building in Simferopol on February 27. 
A man adds fuel to a fire at a barricade in Independence Square on February 27. Dozens of people were killed during clashes between security forces and protesters. 
Pro-Russia demonstrators wave Russian and Crimean flags in front of a local government building in Simferopol on February 27. 
Barricades in front of a government building in Simferopol on February 27 hold a banner that reads: "Crimea Russia." There's a broad divide between those who support the pro-Western developments in Kiev and those who back Russia's continued influence in Crimea and across Ukraine. 
Protesters stand in front of a government building in Simferopol on February 27. Tensions have simmered in the Crimea region since the ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. 
Protesters in support of the president's ouster rally in Independence Square, which has been the center of opposition, on Wednesday, February 26. 
Security forces stand guard during clashes between opposing sides in front of Crimea's parliament building in Simferopol on February 26. 
Pro-Russian demonstrators, right, clash with anti-Russian protesters in front of a government building in Simferopol on February 26. 
A police officer gets pulled into a crowd of Crimean Tatars in Simferopol on February 26. The Tatars, an ethnic minority group deported during the Stalin era, rallied in support of Ukraine's interim government. 
A man places flowers at a barricade near Independence Square on February 26. 
On February 26 in Kiev, a woman holds a photograph of a protester killed during the height of tensions. 
Police guard a government building in Donetsk on February 26. 
Protesters remove a fence that surrounds Ukraine's parliament in Kiev on February 26. 
People sing the Ukrainian national anthem at Independence Square on Monday, February 24. 
Gas masks used by protesters sit next to a barricade in Independence Square on February 24. 
A woman cries February 24 near a memorial for the people killed in Kiev. 
People wave a large Ukrainian flag in Independence Square on Sunday, February 23. 
Two pro-government supporters are made to pray February 23 in front of a shrine to dead anti-government protesters. 
A man and his daughter lay flowers at a memorial for protesters killed in Independence Square. 
Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko speaks at Independence Square on Saturday, February 22, hours after being released from prison. Tymoshenko, considered a hero of a 2004 revolution against Yanukovych, was released after 2½ years behind bars. 
Tymoshenko is greeted by supporters shortly after being freed from prison in Kharkiv on February 22. 
A protester guards the entrance to Yanukovych's abandoned residence outside Kiev on February 22. 
Anti-government protesters guard the streets next to the presidential offices in Kiev on February 22. 
Anti-government protesters drive a military vehicle in Independence Square on February 22. Many protesters said they wouldn't leave the square until Yanukovych resigned. 
Ukrainian lawmakers argue during a session of Parliament on Friday, February 21. 
Men in Kiev carry a casket containing the body of a protester killed in clashes with police. 
Protesters cheer after news of an agreement between the opposing sides in Kiev on February 21.
- To join Russia or become effectively independent is the question on the ballot
- Ukraine says Russian troops on its soil in region that controls natural gas, water to Crimea
- Russia vetoes Security Council resolution declaring Crimea referendum invalid
- Thousands of protesters rally in Ukraine and Moscow ahead of Sunday referendum
Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) -- Crimeans go to the polls Sunday to vote in a referendum that will have a strong determination on its future and a strong influence on the future of international relations in the region and beyond.
Voters will choose between two alternatives: Join Russia or or become effectively an independent state connected to Ukraine.
The pressure is on from Russia, with pro-Russian troops firmly in control of the peninsula with an ethnic Russian majority. Ukraine and the West insist they belong to Moscow, but the Kremlin vehemently denies it.
Russia ratcheted up its its diplomatic and military muscle Saturday.
About 60 Russian troops in six helicopters and three armored vehicles reportedly crossed into Ukraine's Kherson region and were in the town of Strilkove, on a strip of land just northeast of Crimea.
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said the Russian troops were on the ground and the Ukrainian guards had taken defensive positions.
The region is key to neighboring Crimea, because it gets electricity, freshwater and natural gas from there. The Russians said they were in Kherson to prevent a possible terrorist attack on oil assets in the area, according to the Ukrainian border guards.
DONETSK, UKRAINE: Demonstrators wave revolutionary flags at a major pro-Russia rally in Lenin Square in central Donetsk (March 15). Some are calling for independence from Ukraine. Others are calling for union with Russia. Photo by CNN's Kellie Morgan. 
SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE: "Pro-Soviet flags being made and handed out in Simferopol on March 14." - CNN's Michael Holmes. Follow Michael on Instagram at http://ift.tt/OdqKLU. 
SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE: "You really don't have to wander very far in Simferopol (March 14) to find posters like this one around parliament and Lenin Square." - CNN's Dominique Van Heerden. Follow Dominique on Instagram at http://ift.tt/1c5vmhP 
KIEV, UKRAINE: "Protesters outside parliament in Kiev on March 12 call for the release of 34 political prisoners arrested during demonstrations." - CNN's Dominique Van Heereden. Follow Dominique on Instagram at http://ift.tt/1c5vmhP 
DONETSK, UKRAINE: "Dominating the main square named after him: Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, also known as Lenin" - CNN's Christian Streib. Follow Christian on Instagram at http://ift.tt/1oUPDqV. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: CNN cameraman Scott McWhinnie films volunteers peeling vegetables, preparing meals for protesters still living in tents in Maidan, also known as Independence Square, on March 9. Photo by CNN's Michael Holmes. Follow Michael on Instagram at http://ift.tt/OdqKLU. 
SEVASTOPOL, UKRAINE: The Ukranian Navy vessel Slavutych remains blocked by Russian Navy boats inside the Port of Sevastopol on March 10, photographed by CNN's Christian Streib. Follow Christian on Instagram at http://ift.tt/1oUPDqV. 
SEVASTOPOL, UKRAINE: "CNN's Matthew Chance and team talk to the first officer of the Ukrainian Intelligence Navy ship Slavutych inside the Port of Sevastopol on March 10." - CNN's Christian Streib. Follow Christian on Instagram at http://ift.tt/1oUPDqV. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: People stream through Independence Square, laying flowers, and lighting candles. like the ones pictured here on March 9. Photo by CNN's Dominique Van Heerden. Follow Dominique on Instagram at http://ift.tt/1c5vmhP 
KIEV, UKRAINE: An aerial photo of Independence Square, or Maidan, in Kiev on March 8. Many remain camped out in Independence Square, while others stream through the area to pay tribute to those who were killed. Photo by CNN's Tony Umrani. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: A giant EU flag is hung outside the foreign ministry building in Kiev on March 7. Photo by CNN's Dominique Van Heerden. Follow Dominique on Instagram at http://ift.tt/1c5vmhP. 
SOUTHERN UKRAINE: Gunmen block monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) who are trying unsuccessfully to negotiate their way into Crimea past pro-Russian border patrols on March 7. Photo by CNN's Christian Streib. Follow Christian on Instagram at http://ift.tt/1oUPDqV 
KIEV, UKRAINE: CNN's Anderson Cooper reports from Kiev's Independence Square on March 6. Photo by CNN's Khalil Abdallah. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: Portraits of people killed during clashes with riot police are left with candles and flowers at Kiev's Independence Square on March 6. Photo by CNN's Michael Holmes. Follow Michael on Instagram at http://ift.tt/OdqKLU. 
SEVASTOPOL, UKRAINE: Cameraman Chris Jackson captures the Russian Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol on March 5. Photo by CNN's Ben Wedeman. Follow Ben on Instagram at http://ift.tt/OdqL2s. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: "Cutting wood to keep volunteers warm as they continue to guard Independence Square in Kiev." - CNN's Khalil Abdallah on March 5. Follow Khalil on Instagram at http://ift.tt/1oUPDHp. 
WASHINGTON, DC: Ukrainian demonstrators rally on March 5 outside the White House against the Russian incursion into Crimea. Photo by CNN's Burke Buckhorn. Follow Burke on Instagram at http://ift.tt/1oUPFz0 
SEVASTOPOL, UKRAINE: "A massive statue on a hill overlooking Sevastopol, dedicated to the unity of the Soviety army and navy during World War II. After a brutal 250-day siege by German forces, Sevastopol fell in 1942. The past weighs heavily here, with an intense awareness of history, of identity, of place." - CNN's Ben Wedeman. Follow Ben on Instagram at http://ift.tt/OdqL2s. 
SEVASTOPOL, UKRAINE: "A weary Ukrainian soldier after a five-day standoff at the Belbak air base outside Sevastopol, Crimea, on March 5." - CNN's Ben Wedeman. Follow Ben on Instagram at http://ift.tt/OdqL2s. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: The Shrine of the Fallen on Institutska Street honors the "Heroes" killed in clashes with police. Photo on March 4 by CNN's Dominique Van Heerden. Follow Dominique on Instagram at http://ift.tt/1c5vmhP. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: CNN Cameraman Christian Streib sets up for live shots by the barricades on the road to Independence Square on March 4. Photo by CNN's Jon Steward. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: "27-year old Bogdan sits on top of his Russian-made soup kitchen in Indepence -- or Maidan -- Square on March 2. He's been sitting there for the last three months serving delicious Ukrainian grechaniy soup. It's made of buckwheat, lentil, coriander and beef. Amazing taste." - CNN's Christian Streib. Follow Christian on Instagram at http://ift.tt/1oUPDqV. 
PEREVALNOYE BASE, UKRAINE: "Outside Ukrainian base in Crimea (March 2), tight-lipped but obviously Russian marines deploy around perimeter as Ukrainian soldiers inside vow not to surrender." - CNN's Ben Wedeman. Follow Ben on Instagram at http://ift.tt/OdqL2s. 
KIEV, UKAINE: "Perhaps the best solution to end the crisis in Ukraine." - CNN's Christian Streib on March 2. Follow Ben on Instagram at http://ift.tt/OdqL2s. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: "APC in central Kiev (March 1). It appeared the morning after Russian forces moved into the Crimea." -- CNN's Ian Lee. Follow Ian on Instagram at http://ift.tt/OdqLzi. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: A young girl pays tribute to anti-government protesters killed in the clashes with riot police by placing a flower on a makeshift memorial leading to the barricades in central Kiev on February 24. Photo by CNN's Todd Baxter. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: A woman mourns at a makeshift memorial (February 23) in homage to anti-government protesters killed in clashes with riot police in Kiev's Independence Square. Photo by CNN's Todd Baxter. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: Bullet holes in a power pole at a spot where a protester was killed during clashes with riot police, near Independence Square. Photo by CNN's Todd Baxter on February 23. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: Ukrainians are reflected in a puddle as they gather to mourn the dead in Maidan Square on February 23, after protesters succeeded in forcing President Viktor Yanukovich out of office. Photo by CNN's Christian Streib. Follow Christian on Instagram at http://ift.tt/1oUPDqV. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: "Anti-government demonstrator in makeshift riot gear (February 22), a member of several protection units set up by the organizers of the occupation of Maidan Square." - CNN's Christian Streib. Follow Christian on Instagram at http://ift.tt/1oUPDqV. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: Defected policemen and anti-government protesters at barricades together in central Kiev on February 21. Photo by CNN's Fred Pleitgen. Follow Fred on Instagram at http://ift.tt/OdqNHH. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: Anti-government protesters clash with riot police in central Kiev on February 20. Photo by CNN's Todd Baxter. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: Riot police face anti-government protesters during clashes in central Kiev on February 20. Photo by CNN's Todd Baxter. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: After the deaths of 25 people during clashes a day earlier, Ukrainian protesters prepare to stand and fight again on February 19. Photo taken by CNN's Andrew Carey on February 19. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: "This 17 year old protestor was taken by police as he was watching the clashes (January 23) while taking iPhone photos. He was stripped naked, beaten, stabbed in the thigh and his arm was broken. He faces eight to fifteen years in jail for taking part in a mass demonstration. The government has labeled those taking part in the violence as 'terrorists'." - CNN's Diana Magnay. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: Pro-Europe protesters pour into Independence square on December 14. Opposition supporters have been camping since Nov. 21 in Independence Square - in protest against President Yanukovich's last minute refusal to sign an agreement bringing Ukraine closer to the European Union, in favor of Russia. Photo by CNN's Diana Magnay. 
KIEV, UKRAINE: Ukrainian riot police storm barricades set up by pro-European Union protesters in Independence Square on December 11. Ukrainian security forces stormed the square, which protesters have occupied for three weeks. The demonstrators defiantly refused to leave and resisted the police in a tense standoff. Photo by CNN's Diana Magnay. Crisis in Crimea and Ukraine, captured by CNN teams
Crisis in Crimea and Ukraine, captured by CNN teams
Crisis in Crimea and Ukraine, captured by CNN teams
Crisis in Ukraine, captured by CNN Teams on assignment.
Crisis in Ukraine, captured by CNN Teams on assignment.
Crisis in Ukraine, captured by CNN Teams on assignment.
Crisis in Ukraine, captured by CNN Teams on assignment.
Crisis in Ukraine, captured by CNN Teams on assignment.
Crisis in Ukraine, captured by CNN Teams on assignment.
Crisis in Ukraine, captured by CNN Teams on assignment.
Crisis in Ukraine, captured by CNN Teams on assignment.
Ukraine Crisis captured by CNN Teams
Crisis in Ukraine, captured by CNN Teams on assignment.
Ukraine crisis captured by CNN Teams
Ukraine Crisis captured by CNN Teams
Ukraine Crisis captured by CNN Teams
Ukraine crisis captured by CNN Teams
Ukraine crisis captured by CNN Teams
Ukraine crisis captured by CNN Teams
Ukraine crisis captured by CNN Teams
Ukraine crisis captured by CNN Teams
Ukraine crisis captured by CNN Teams
Ukraine crisis captured by CNN Teams
Ukraine Crisis captured by CNN Teams
Ukraine crisis captured by CNN Teams
Ukraine crisis captured by CNN Teams
Crisis in Ukraine, captured by CNN Teams on assignment.
Crisis in Ukraine, captured by CNN Teams on assignment.
Ukraine crisis captured by CNN Teams
Ukraine crisis captured by CNN Teams
Ukraine crisis captured by CNN Teams
Crisis in Crimea and Ukraine, captured by CNN teams
Crisis in Crimea and Ukraine, captured by CNN teams
Ukraine crisis captured by CNN Teams
Crisis in Crimea and Ukraine, captured by CNN teams
Crisis in Crimea and Ukraine, captured by CNN teams
Crisis in Crimea and Ukraine, captured by CNN teams
Crisis in Crimea and Ukraine, captured by CNN teams 
Crimean voices 
Is Russia preparing to invade Ukraine? CNN team in Crimea: This is a McMoment to remember
Ukraine's foreign ministry termed the move a "military invasion" and called on Russia to withdraw its forces.
Also Saturday, Russia wielded it's veto power as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council against a U.S. draft resolution that declared Sunday's Crimea referendum invalid.
Thirteen of the 15 Security Council members backed the resolution, while China abstained.
"The reason only one country voted 'no' today is that the world believes that international borders are more than mere suggestions," said U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power after the vote.
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin argued that Crimean citizens had a right to self-determination.
What happens next in Crimea?
Blue, white and red Russian flags dominate the streets of the coastal Crimean town of Sevastopol, where concerts on the main square have been celebrating the return to the "motherland" this past week.
"Everybody believes the results are already rigged," said CNN iReporter Maia Mikhaluk from Kiev.
"People are concerned what is going to happen after the referendum," she said. "People are concerned that the Russian army will use force, guns to push (the) Ukrainian army from Crimea."
The referendum will present Crimean residents with the choice of whether to secede from Ukraine and join Russia or effectively become independent.
Ukraine's acting foreign minister, Andrii Deshchytsia, repeated Saturday the interim government's position that the referendum is illegitimate and will not be recognized by Kiev or the international community.
Ukraine is engaged in a "diplomatic war" with Russia, he said, but is looking for a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Crimea. It will not respond to Russian "provocations," he said.
Russia -- which the West and Ukraine insist has the majority ethnic Russian Crimean peninsula under its effective military control -- has come under concerted international pressure to halt its activities there and talk to the interim government in Kiev.
But, so far, it has refused to budge. Talks between U.S. Secretary John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ended in disagreement.
European nations and the United States have announced some targeted punishments against Russia and have threatened that they could get worse, if Crimea's defacto annex goes through.
In addition, the West is shoring up Ukraine with offers of billions in aid to its fledgling government.
Investors would also seem to be punishing Russia, which has seen steep declines in its stock market and the value of the ruble in recent days.
Moscow has repeatedly denied direct involvement in Crimea, saying that the well-armed men in uniforms without identifying insignia are not Russian troops.
Already, eight Ukrainian military units in Crimea have been taken over, 22 others are blocked, and 49 of 56 border patrol stations are in similar straits, Ukraine's foreign ministry said.
Kiev's new Western-leaning government, which came to power following the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych, has insisted that Ukraine's territorial integrity, including Crimea, must be respected.
Moscow has insisted it has the right to protect ethnic Russians in Ukraine, who it claims are threatened by radical nationalists and "fascists."
Kerry: We won't recognize referendum 
Russian artillery deployed around Crimea 
Crimea's place in Russian history Protests for both sides
In the eastern Ukraine city of Donetsk, thousands of pro-Russia demonstrators rallied beneath a towering statue of Soviet revolutionary Vladimir Lenin in the city's main square.
They waved Russian flags and red flags emblazoned with the iconic image of Argentinian Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.
There was not a single Ukraine flag to be seen, according to a CNN team on the ground.
"They are frightened," said local journalist Denis Kazansky of pro-Ukraine protesters. "They will not come out and demonstrate."
A man was fatally stabbed and at least 10 others were injured in clashes in Donetsk on Thursday. Russia blamed "right-wing radical groups" for the violence, while Ukrainian authorities suggested it was linked to Russian citizens who want to escalate tensions in Ukraine.
Many people living in Ukraine's eastern region, along the Ukraine-Russia border, identify more with Russia than with Ukraine.
Saturday, protesters also took to the streets in the Russian capital, Moscow.
State news agency Itar-Tass, citing Moscow police, said some 15,000 turned out for a rally in support of the referendum in Crimea, while about 3,000 marched in protest against attempts to reunite Crimea with Russia.
The Black Sea peninsula was part of Russia until Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave it to Ukraine in 1954. Ukraine was then part of the Soviet Union. But Russia maintains its Black Sea Fleet in Crimea.
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CNN's Ivan Watson reported from Kiev and Diana Magnay from Crimea, while Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported in London. CNN's Kellie Morgan contributed from Donetsk and Tim Schwarz from Kiev. CNN's Richard Roth, Susanna Capelouto, Yon Pomrenze, Azad Safarov, Alex Felton, Phil Gast and Greg Botelho also contributed.
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