HARTFORD – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement regarding today's vote in Crimea:

Early returns from today's voting in Crimea are proving what we already knew to be true – this phony, so-called referendum was a setup from the start, designed only to provide cover for Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The world community has denounced it in advance, culminating in last nights Security Council vote, and today's fantastical margin simply proves these objections true.

Having just returned from Kyiv, I am more confident than ever that the United States, Europe, and Ukraine will stand together to allow the Ukrainian people to decide their own future for themselves, and to remain a free and sovereign nation. Tomorrow will be judgement day for Russia, and I expect the U.S. and our European allies to show Moscow that there will be consequences for their outrageous and unlawful actions.