By the monument to Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, they came with yellow-blue flags and chanted "Glory to Ukraine" and "Down with the Russian occupiers". Across town by the monument to Vladimir Lenin, the flags were red, white and blue, and the chanting was for union with Russia.  There were two very different visions of Crimea's future on display at the two rallies in its capital on Sunday, a week before the peninsula holds a referendum on joining Russia which the west has called illegitimate, but Russia's parliament has strongly suggested it will honour.  At a similar pro-Ukraine rally in the port city of Sevastopol, the demonstrators were attacked by a group of whip-wielding Cossacks, in a forewarning of the possible violence in the coming months. There are fears that after the referendum, there could be clashes between the large pro-Russian population and the minority Crimean Tatar and ethnic Ukrainian populations, who are aghast at the prospect of union with Moscow.  The referendum, to be held on Sunday, will ask Crimeans if they want more autonomy within Ukraine or union with Russia. However, the local parliament has already voted for union with Russia and said the referendum is merely meant to "confirm" the decision.  Vladimir Putin said last week that there was no suggestion of Russia annexing Crimea, but Moscow put on a warm reception for the region's de facto leaders on Friday, and in a phone call with David Cameron and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, on Sunday, Putin appeared to back the referendum.  "Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin underlined in particular that the steps taken by Crimea's legitimate authorities are based on international law and aimed at guaranteeing the legitimate interests of the peninsula's population," said the Kremlin in a statement about the call.  In the same phone call, Cameron told Putin that Britain and the EU wanted to work towards a diplomatic solution.  The Foreign Office said: "The prime minister called President Putin this morning to urge him to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine and to support the formation of a contact group that could lead to direct talks between the governments of Russia and Ukraine.  "The PM made clear that we, along with our European and American partners, want to work with Russia to find a diplomatic solution to the situation in Ukraine, including Crimea."  The region is now full of heavily armed pro-Russian militias, backing Russian military actions in the region. But even among the ethnic Russians, who make up more than half of Crimea's residents, there is not a consensus on joining with Russia. Many would prefer enhanced autonomy within Ukraine.  At the pro-Ukraine protest, 62-year-old Larisa said she was filled with worry at the prospect of joining Russia.  "I am Russian, I was born in the far east of Russia, but I am a Ukrainian patriot. We are pawns in Putin's game, who is he to say we need defending? He has sent in troops to our country on the pretext of protecting us, but from whom?"  Other Russians, however, were certain that union with Russia was the only thing that could save the peninsula from being attacked by the new government in Kiev, which is widely described here as fascist.  "Our grandfathers fought the Nazis, and now they are in tears looking at these revolting fascists in Kiev," said Vladimir, a factory worker from the town of Bakhchisarai who plans to volunteer for a local self-defence unit. "We have had 23 years of Ukraine and the economy has gone to shit. Russia is a great country, Putin is a great president. Only with Russia can we experience the good life of the Soviet Union again."  In Kiev, there was also a rally near the Taras Shevchenko monument, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the national icon's birth.  "We face the biggest challenge for our country and nation for the history of modern independent Ukraine," Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukraine's prime minister, told the crowd. Yatsenyuk will travel to Washington this week and meet Barack Obama at the White House on Wednesday.  In Kiev, he insisted that Ukraine would never give up Crimea to Russia. "Our fathers and grandfathers have spilled their blood for this land. And we won't budge a single centimetre from Ukrainian land. Let Russia and its president know this."  "Our army is small, we lack guns, so our only weapon is our spirit," said Iryna Derevytska, a 42-year-old teacher waving a big Ukrainian flag at the rally.  However, it is not clear just how Ukraine intends to defend Crimea, and spirit may not be enough. Kiev's soldiers on the peninsula are stranded inside bases, under assault from the Russians and lacking direction from the capital.  Russian military control over Crimea is intensifying by the day, with unconfirmed reports that mines have been laid on the isthmus that connects the peninsula with the rest of Ukraine. The Ukrainian army said that at Chongar, on the border, mines had been laid, and there had been a huge buildup of Russian military vehicles in recent days.  Crimean broadcasters also stopped the transmission of Ukrainian channels in the territory and replaced them with Russian channels over the weekend. Russian media have accused the west of ignoring far-right elements present in the Kiev protests and whitewashing what it describes as a "neo-fascist" government.  "Russian propaganda is lying as always," said Mikhail Khodorkovsky, formerly Russia's richest man, who was released by presidential pardon after a decade in prison late last year, addressing the crowds on Independence Square on Sunday. "There are no fascists or neo-Nazis here, or at least there are no more than there are on the streets of Moscow and St Petersburg."  "I want you to know there is another Russia," said Khodorkovsky, his voice shaking with emotion. He said he had spent the night in the square talking to different activists and wished them all the best in their struggle to build a new government now. He was given a warm welcome by the crowd.  Additional reporting by Nick Watt, Harriet Salem and Oksana Grytsenko
Fears rise of clashes after vote on union with Russia as Cameron seeks Putin's support for contact group