Pro-Russian separatists in two eastern Ukrainian cities decided Thursday to proceed with a referendum Sunday, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's call to delay the vote. A group identifying itself the Donetsk People’s Republic said the referendum would decide whether to give the eastern regions more independence within Ukraine. But the group left open the possibility it could seek independence or annexation by Russia. The Army of the Southeast, a rebel group in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, also rejected Putin's appeal, according to Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
