Ukrainian leader declares Crimea referendum an illegal farce

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's acting president said on Thursday a referendum planned by the pro-Moscow parliament in Crimea on joining Russia was illegitimate, and declared it a farce and crime organized by the Russian military. In a short televised address, Oleksander Turchinov said the Ukrainian parliament would start procedures to dismiss the Crimean assembly and block the referendum. "It is not a referendum, it is a farce, a fake and a crime against the state which is organized by the Russian Federation's military," he said, standing in front of the blue and yellow national flag. (Reporting By Pavel Polityuk, Editing by Timothy Heritage)