CHERKASY, Ukraine (AP) — Shakhtar Donetsk won its fifth straight Ukrainian Premier League title on the day its home city is holding a referendum on secession.

Shakhtar defeated Zorya Luhansk 3-1 in a game played in an empty stadium at a neutral venue in central Ukraine amid widespread unrest in the east.

Shakhtar’s home city of Donetsk is the center of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk, where pro-Russian activists are hosting a vote Sunday that may lead to the region joining Russia.

There have been violent clashes in the city in recent weeks between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian demonstrators.

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