Crimean referendum vote could have been fixed, world awash in faux shock

There is possible evidence that the Crimean referendum vote to secede from Ukraine and join Russia was rigged to have an overwhelming majority of 96 percent voting to pass the referendum.

Aside from the allegations of intimidation and a hastily executed propaganda campaign, there is evidence that foul play was involved in the voting result. CNN showed footage of voters putting two ballots in the voting box. Freelance journalist Maxim Eristavi also came across some questionable results, as he tweeted an article from the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda that claimed 123 percent of Sevastopol residents voted to join Russia.

Turns out 123% of Sevastopol residents voted for joining Russia. Crimea counted more votes than the number of voters http://t.co/P6MFcyux2g

— Maxim Eristavi (@MaximEristavi) March 17, 2014

The U.S. and European nations have said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has violated international law by threatening the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. U.S. President Barack Obama formally announced Monday that he signed an executive order to impose sanctions against responsible Russian officials and has threatened further sanctions should Russia continue to disregard Ukraine's sovereignty.

[HuffPost Live]