MOSCOW - Russia's Foreign Ministry said late Sunday that Moscow respects the expression of the will of people in southeastern Ukraine to vote by election for regional leaders and legislative bodies.

"Elections in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in general were well organized, the turnout was high," it said in a statement, stressing those who were elected have received a mandate to restore normalcy of life in the region.

In an announcement issued late Sunday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called the elections held in the two eastern regions as a "farce," saying "I hope Russia will not recognize the so-called elections because they are a clear violation of the Sept 5 Minsk protocol, which was also signed by Russia's representative." The Minsk protocol is an international peace agreement meant to stop months of fighting between the separatists and Ukrainian troops.

The elections started at 8 am local time (0500 GMT) and lasted until 8 pm (1700 GMT), with three candidates running for "presidency" in Donetsk and four in Lugansk.