Pro Russia Rebel Vote To Go Ahead
The move was announced by separatist leaders after consulting supporters
On Wednesday Mr.Putin called for a postponement to create the conditions necessary for dialogue
Ukrainian authorities say they will disregard the results and that "anti terror" operations wiill continue
Millions of ballot papers have been prepared for the referendum , the question put to voters is "Do yuo support the act of proclamation of indendent sovereinty for the Donetsk People's Republic?"
The decision to press ahead with the vote was announced by separatists leaders in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk
The leader in Donetsk , Deenis Pushilin , said the decision had been unanimous
"We just voice what the people want and demonstrate through their actions" he said
A spokesman for the Kremlin said there was "little information" and that it needed to analyse the situation further
Mr. Putin may turn the separatists decision to his advantage , claiming it is proof that Russia is not orchestrating events in Eastern Ukraine , as claimed by the West
Moscow has vowed to protect the rights of Ukraine's Russian speaking population against what it calls an undemocratic government in Kiev
Ukrainian authorities have rejected activist demands for greater autonomy and troops have been battling to regain official buildings occupied by rebels in the East
The European Union weighed in on Thursday , warning that " such a vote could have" no democratic legitimacy and would only further worsen the situation
The separatist's decision to hold the referendum comes as a Pew Researchh Center poll released on Thursday , shows that a strong majority of Ukrainian's want their country to remain unified , even i the largely Russian speaking East
Sunday's planned referendum was seen as a potential trigger for that
Meanwhile Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says there is no sign of a Russian troop withdrawal from the Ukrainian border , which Mr. Putin announced on Wednesday