Ukrainian's Vote In Presidential Elections

There are 18 candidates on the ballot , which is widely seen as a crucial moment to unite the country

But Pro Russian separatists have disrupted voting in the East , stopping many polling stations from opening  and smashing up ballot boxes

Voting in the Eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk has been seriously disrupted , ther were no polling stations open in Donetsk city and across the region only seven out of 12 districts electoral commissions were operating

The Presidential elections were called after the last elected President Viktor Yanukovyych , was deposed in February amis mass protests against his Pro Russian policies

Confectionary tycoon Petro Poroshenko , known as the "chocolate king" as the favourite to win

By 11:00 a.m. local time (08:00 GMT 0 , 12:00 a.m. PST , 3:00 a,m. EST

Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is lagging behind Mr. Poroshenko in opinion polls

If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote , a second round will take place in June

Prime Minister Arsenly Yatsenyuk urged people to vote and "defend Ukraine

In an unprecdented move , Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he would respect the outcome of the election and was prepared to work with whoever was elected President

Kiev and the West accuse Russia of stoking separatists sentiment , a claim Putin denies

Polling stations will remain open until 20:oo (8:00 p.m.) , 17:00 GMT (5:pm.m) 9;00 a.m. PST,noon EST , with definitive results expected on Monday