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Ukraine is a country fraying at the seams. With a contentious referendum in the East of the country now over, Ukraine has moved closer to complete disintegration and civil war.

This is a News Analysis from NBC News Chief Global Correspondent Bill Neely.

Carried out amid deadly clashes, this was no ordinary referendum.

It was run by separatists, who decided the question on the ballot paper. They also counted the votes and announced a result - 89 percent in favor of separating from Ukraine - though what that means remains unclear: the ballot left open the possibilities for independence, separation or unity with Russia.

How the separatists arrived at that result is even less apparent: There were no valid electoral lists, many ballot papers were photocopies and there were reports of voters casting multiple ballots. There also were no international observers.

Despite all of this the separatists claimed a 75 percent turnout - hard to imagine given that there were so few polling stations. Mariupol, a city of half a million people, had just four voting centers.

Many citizens of Mariupol and other cities in eastern Ukraine boycotted the vote. Others, shaken by recent spasms of violence, were too scared to cast their ballots.

Regardless - the referendum is now recorded as fact, drawing further lines between all sides in an already tense climate.

Ukraines President Oleksandr Turchynov says the vote was a farce. The problem is, neither he nor his government were voted into office they took power by force.

He and the separatists in the East are taking turns calling each other illegitimate, branding each move the other takes as unlawful.

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Ukraine Moves Closer to Civil War After Flawed Referendum