Ukraine separatists vow to go ahead with controversial referendum
Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN) — Pro-Russian activists in eastern Ukraine insisted Saturday that a controversial referendum on greater autonomy will go ahead — despite calls from Kyiv and Moscow not to hold the vote amid soaring tensions.
The referendum is due to take place on Sunday in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, where armed groups have been involved in deadly clashes with Ukrainian security forces in recent days.
At least seven people were killed and 39 others were injured in violence Friday in the flashpoint southeastern city of Mariupol, the Donetsk regional health department said. Acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said the casualty toll is higher.
The mood in the city of Donetsk was tense on the eve of the vote, as its residents wait to see what happens.
Members of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic election commission prepare a polling station in Slaviansk, Ukraine, on May 10. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine will vote on a a controversial referendum on greater autonomy on Sunday, May 11. Ukraine has seen a sharp rise in tensions since a new pro-European government took charge of the country in February. Separatists in the east and the south, many of them of Russian descent, view the new government as illegitimate and have been taking over government buildings.
Activists prepare ballot boxes in the colors of the Donetsk People’s Republic on May 10, the eve of a referendum in Slavyansk. Ukraine.
Black smoke billows from burning tires used to prevent government troops’ armored personnel carriers from passing through in Mariupol, eastern Ukraine, on Saturday, May 10.
The mother of Dmitriy Nikityuk, who died in a fire at a trade union building during riots in Odessa, Ukraine, cries next to his coffin during his funeral on Thursday, May 8.
A Ukrainian soldier keeps guard at a checkpoint near Slovyansk, Ukraine, on May 8.
A pro-Russian activist stands with a Russian national flag outside the regional Interior Ministry building in Luhansk, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 7.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, right, inspects an armored personnel carrier in Slovyansk on May 7.
An armed pro-Russian separatist takes a position by the railway lines near Slovyansk on Tuesday, May 6.
A relative mourns by the body of 17-year-old Vadim Papura during a service in Odessa on May 6. Papura died after jumping out of a burning trade union building during riots on May 2.
A pro-Russian gunman holds his weapon while guarding the local administration building in Slovyansk on May 6.
Pro-Russian supporters lead blindfolded men in front of the regional administration building in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Monday, May 5.
Ukrainian policemen check documents at a checkpoint near the northeastern city of Izium, Ukraine, on May 5.
Ukrainian soldiers stand at a checkpoint near Slovyansk on May 5.
Pro-Russian Cossacks sit outside the regional administration building in Donetsk on May 5. Separatists in Donetsk said they are preparing a referendum to ask residents whether they want sovereignty from Ukraine.
Pro-Russian militants who were arrested during a Ukrainian unity rally are greeted on Sunday, May 4, after being freed by police in Odessa. The men released Sunday had been detained after bloody clashes in Odessa, which ended in a deadly blaze. Forty-six people were killed in the bloodshed.
A pro-Russian militant reacts after being freed on May 4 in Odessa.
Pro-Russian militants clash with police as they storm the police station in Odessa on May 4.
An Orthodox priest, in front of the administration building in Donetsk, blesses a pro-Russian activist May 4 as people gather to honor the memory of fallen comrades in Odessa.
Red carnations are left inside the burned trade union building in Odessa on May 4. Flowers, candles and photos of the dead piled up outside the charred building, a day after brutal clashes and the fire claimed 46 lives.
Pro-Russian protesters light candles in Donetsk on Saturday, May 3, to honor the memory of fallen comrades in Odessa.
A woman cries in front of the burned trade union building in Odessa on May 3.
A man walks past burning tires near Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on May 3.
Pro-Russian activists beat a pro-Ukraine supporter trying to save the Ukrainian flag that was removed from a flagpole outside the burned trade union building in Odessa.
Pro-Russian protesters gather in Donetsk to honor the memory of comrades who died in Odessa.
A portrait of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin is part of a barricade in the center of Slovyansk on May 3. The city has become the focus of an armed pro-Russian, anti-government insurgency that aspires to give the eastern regions of Ukraine full autonomy.
A pro-Russian activist sits in front of policemen guarding the burned trade union building in Odessa on May 3.
People lay flowers and candles at the burned trade union building in Odessa on May 3.
Ukrainian soldiers arrive to reinforce a checkpoint that troops seized Friday, May 2, in Andreevka, a village near Slovyansk. Two helicopters were downed Friday as Ukrainian security forces tried to dislodge pro-Russian separatists from Slovyansk, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said.
Police take cover under shields as pro-Russian activists storm the prosecutor’s office in Donetsk on Thursday, May 1. Eastern Ukraine was a heartland of support for President Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted in February.
A pro-Russian activist is wounded after storming the prosecutor’s office in Donetsk and clashing with riot police on May 1.
Pro-Russian activists storm the prosecutor’s office in Donetsk on May 1. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades in an effort to disperse the activists.
An injured Pro-Russian activist speaks with an armed protester during clashes with police in front of the regional administration building in Donetsk on May 1.
Pro-Russian activists storm an administration building in the center of Luhansk on Tuesday, April 29.
Pro-Russia militants, armed with baseball bats and iron bars, hold flares as they attack people marching for national unity in Donetsk on Monday, April 28.
Detained observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe arrive to take part in a news conference Sunday, April 27, in Slovyansk. Vyacheslav Ponomarev, the self-declared mayor of Slovyansk, referred to the observers as “prisoners of war.”
Ukrainian troops stand guard behind a barricade made of sandbags at a checkpoint about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from Slovyansk on April 27.
Relatives and friends of a man killed in a gunfight participate in his funeral ceremony in Slovyansk on Saturday, April 26.
U.S. troops arrive at an air force base near Siauliai Zuokniai, Lithuania, on April 26. The United States is conducting military exercises in Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. The exercises are, in part, a response to the ongoing instability in Ukraine.
Ukrainian government troops in armored vehicles travel on a country road outside the town of Svyitohirsk in eastern Ukraine on April 26.
Pro-Russia armed militants inspect a truck near Slovyansk on Friday, April 25. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused the West of plotting to control Ukraine, and he said the pro-Russia insurgents in the southeast would lay down their arms only if the Ukrainian government clears out the Maidan protest camp in the capital, Kyiv.
Pro-Russia militants keep records of their duty in Slovyansk on April 25.
Ukrainian troops take position near burning tires at a pro-Russian checkpoint in Slovyansk on Thursday, April 24.
Ukrainian special forces take position at an abandoned roadblock in Slovyansk on April 24.
A Ukrainian special forces member takes position in Slovyansk.
Cossacks carry a coffin into a church in Slovyansk on Tuesday, April 22, during a funeral for men killed in a gunfight at a checkpoint two days before.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, left, talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk during a meeting in Kyiv on April 22.
An armed pro-Russian man stands on a street in Slovyansk on Monday, April 21.
Demonstrators attend a pro-Russian rally outside the secret service building in Luhansk on April 21.
Cars are burned out after an attack at a roadblock in Slovyansk on Sunday, April 20.
A resident inspects burnt-out cars at a roadblock on April 20.
A pro-Russian militant is seen at the roadblock near Slovyansk on April 20.
Armed pro-Russian militants stand guard at a roadblock near Slovyansk on April 20.
A masked man stands guard outside a regional administration building seized by pro-Russian separatists in Slovyansk on Friday, April 18.
People walk around barricades April 18 set up at the regional administration building that was seized earlier in Donetsk.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the media after a nationally televised question-and-answer session in Moscow on Thursday, April 17. Putin denied that Russian forces are involved in the unrest in eastern Ukraine, though he did say for the first time that Russians were active in Crimea before the peninsula voted to join the country.
Ukrainian riot police officers stand guard during a pro-Ukrainian demonstration in Donetsk on April 17.
Masked pro-Russian protesters stand guard in front of the city hall in Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 17.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reaches out to shake hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the start of a bilateral meeting to discuss the ongoing situation in Ukraine. The meeting took place April 17 in Geneva, Switzerland.
A masked gunman stands guard near tanks in Slovyansk on Wednesday, April 16.
A Ukrainian helicopter flies over a column of Ukrainian Army combat vehicles on the way to Kramatorsk on April 16.
A masked pro-Russian gunman guards combat vehicles parked in downtown Slovyansk on April 16.
A man talks with Ukrainian soldiers as they are blocked by people on their way to Kramatorsk.
Ukrainian soldiers sit atop combat vehicles on their way to Kramatorsk.
Ukrainian Gen. Vasily Krutov is surrounded by protesters after addressing the crowd outside an airfield in Kramatorsk on Tuesday, April 15.
Pro-Russian activists guard a barricade April 15 outside the regional police building that they seized in Slovyansk.
Ukrainian troops receive munitions at a field on the outskirts of Izium on April 15.
Armed pro-Russian activists stand guard on top of a Ukrainian regional administration building in Slovyansk on Monday, April 14.
A pro-Russian activist carries a shield during the mass storming of a police station in Horlivka, Ukraine, on April 14.
Russian supporters attend a rally in front of the security service building occupied by pro-Russian activists in Luhansk on April 14.
A man places a Russian flag over a police station after storming the building in Horlivka on April 14.
Men besiege the police station in Horlivka.
The Horlivka police station burns on April 14.
A Ukrainian police officer receives medical care after being attacked at the police station in Horlivka on April 14.
Pro-Russian supporters beat a pro-Ukrainian activist during a rally in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Sunday, April 13.
Pro-Russian activists escort a man outside the secret service building in Luhansk on April 13.
Pro-Russian protesters guard a barricade in Slovyansk on April 13 outside a regional police building seized by armed separatists the day before.
Armed pro-Russian activists carrying riot shields occupy a police station in Slovyansk on April 12.
A group of pro-Russian activists warm themselves by a fire Friday, April 11, in front of a Ukrainian Security Service office in Luhansk.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk speaks April 11 during his meeting with regional leaders in Donetsk, Ukraine. Yatsenyuk flew into Donetsk, where pro-Russian separatists occupied the regional administration building and called for a referendum.
Pro-Russian young men look over the fence of a military recruitment office in Donetsk on Thursday, April 10.
Armed pro-Russian protesters occupy the Security Service building in Luhansk on April 10.
Members of the self-proclaimed government the “Donetsk Republic” vote April 10 during a meeting at the seized regional administration building in Donetsk.
Ukrainian lawmakers from different parties scuffle during a Parliament session in Kyiv on Tuesday, April 8.
Workers clean up on April 8 after pro-Russian separatists and police clashed overnight in Kharkiv.
Pro-Russian protesters burn tires near a regional administration building in Kharkiv after police cleared the building on Monday, April 7.
A masked man stands on top of a barricade at the regional administration building in Donetsk on April 7.
Protesters wave a Russian flag as they storm the regional administration building in Donetsk on Sunday, April 6. Protesters seized state buildings in several east Ukrainian cities, prompting accusations from Kyiv that Moscow is trying to “dismember” the country.
Pro-Russian protesters clash with police as they try to occupy a regional administration building in Donetsk on April 6.
Pro-Russian activists hold a rally in front of a Ukrainian Security Service office in Luhansk on April 6.
A young demonstrator with his mouth covered by a Russian flag attends a pro-Russia rally outside the regional government administration building in Donetsk on Saturday, April 5.
A Ukrainian soldier guards a road not far from Prokhody, a village near the Russian border, on April 5. Ukrainian and Western officials have voiced alarm about Russia’s reported military buildup on Ukraine’s eastern border.
Ukrainian cadets at the Higher Naval School embrace a friend who has decided to stay in the school during a departure ceremony in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Friday, April 4. Some 120 cadets who refused to take Russian citizenship left the school to return to Ukraine.
Soviet military veterans take part in a flower-laying ceremony at the Soviet-era World War II memorial in Sevastopol on Thursday, April 3.
Ukrainian soldiers conduct a training session on the Desna military shooting range northeast of Kyiv on Wednesday, April 2.
Russian soldiers prepare for diving training in front of a Tarantul-III class missile boat Tuesday, April 1, in Sevastopol.
People pass by barricades near the Dnipro Hotel in Kyiv on April 1.
People walk past a train loaded with Russian tanks Monday, March 31, in the Gvardeyskoe railway station near Simferopol, Crimea.
A Russian solder sits in a tank at the Ostryakovo railway station, not far from Simferopol on March 31.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev speaks about the economic development of Crimea during a meeting March 31 in Simferopol.
Members of the Ukrainian National Guard take part in military exercises on a shooting range near Kyiv on March 31.
A woman cries Sunday, March 30, during a gathering to honor those who were killed during protests in Kyiv’s Independence Square.
A woman and child walk past a line of police officers during a rally in Kharkiv on March 30.
Ukrainian soldiers take part in a training exercise at a military base in Donetsk on Saturday, March 29.
Demonstrators protest Friday, March 28, in Kyiv, displaying police vehicles they seized during earlier clashes with authorities.
Members of the Right Sector group block the Ukrainian parliament building in Kyiv on Thursday, March 27. Activists called for Interior Minister Arsen Avakov to step down after the recent killing of radical nationalist leader Oleksandr Muzychko, who died during a police operation to detain him. Muzychko and the Right Sector are credited with playing a lead role in the protests that toppled Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych.
Ukrainian tanks are transported from their base in Perevalne, Crimea, on Wednesday, March 26. After Russian troops seized most of Ukraine’s bases in Crimea, interim Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov ordered the withdrawal of armed forces from the Black Sea peninsula, citing Russian threats to the lives of military staff and their families.
Ukrainian marines wave as they leave a base in Feodosia, Crimea, on Tuesday, March 25.
Russian sailors stand on the deck of the corvette ship Suzdalets in the bay of Sevastopol on March 25.
Pro-Russian militia members remove a resident as Russian troops assault the Belbek air base, outside Sevastopol, on Saturday, March 22. After its annexation of Crimea, Russian forces have consolidated their control of the region.
Soldiers in unmarked uniforms sit atop an armored personnel carrier at the gate of the Belbek air base on March 22.
A Russian sailor holds the Russian Navy’s St. Andrew’s flag while standing on the bow of the surrendered Ukrainian submarine Zaporozhye on March 22 in Sevastopol.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signs the final decree completing the annexation of Crimea on Friday, March 21, as Upper House Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, left, and State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin watch.
A Ukrainian serviceman leaves a Ukrainian military unit that Russian soldiers took control of in Perevalne on March 21.
Ukrainian border guards run during training at a military camp in Alekseyevka, Ukraine, on March 21.
Russian soldiers patrol the area surrounding a Ukrainian military unit in Perevalne on Thursday, March 20.
Pro-Russian protesters remove the gate to the Ukrainian navy headquarters as Russian troops stand guard in Sevastopol on Wednesday, March 19.
Pro-Russian forces walk inside the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 19.
A member of pro-Russian forces takes down a Ukrainian flag at the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 19.
Alexander Vitko, chief of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, leaves the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol after pro-Russian forces took it over on March 19.
A Russian flag waves as workers install a new sign on a parliament building in Simferopol, Crimea’s capital, on March 19.
Russian military personnel surround a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne on March 19.
Nameplates on the front of the Crimean parliament building get removed Tuesday, March 18, in Simferopol.
From left, Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov; Vladimir Konstantinov, speaker of the Crimean parliament; Russian President Vladimir Putin; and Alexei Chaly, the new de facto mayor of Sevastopol, join hands in Moscow on March 18 after signing a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia.
Demonstrators hold a Crimean flag at Lenin Square in Simferopol on March 18.
Ukrainian soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint near Strilkove, Ukraine, close to Crimea on Monday, March 17.
Former boxer and Ukrainian politician Vitali Klitschko addresses reporters in Kyiv on March 17.
Ukrainian troops stand guard in front of the Ukrainian Parliament building in Kyiv on March 17.
A Ukrainian man applies for the National Guard at a mobile recruitment center in Kyiv on March 17.
Civilians walk past riot police in Simferopol on March 17.
A Ukrainian soldier stands on top of an armored vehicle at a military camp near the village of Michurino, Ukraine, on March 17.
Policemen stand guard outside the regional state administration building in Donetsk during a rally by pro-Russia activists March 17.
Armed soldiers stand guard outside a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne on March 17.
A man holds a Crimean flag as he stands in front of the Crimean parliament building in Simferopol on March 17.
Crimeans holding Russian flags celebrate in front of the parliament building in Simferopol on Sunday, March 16.
A Ukrainian police officer tries to shield himself from a road block thrown by pro-Russia supporters in Kharkiv on March 16.
Pro-Russia demonstrators storm the prosecutor general’s office during a rally in Donetsk on March 16.
A woman leaves a voting booth in Sevastopol on March 16. See the crisis in Ukraine before Crimea voted
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Photos: Crisis in Ukraine
Russian military pride on full display
Pro-Russian militants plan to defy Putin
GPS: Did Putin plan the Crimea invasion?
The head of the referendum committee for the self-declared “People’s Republic of Donetsk,” Boris Litvinov, insisted that the vote on greater local powers would go ahead and that preparations are well under way.
Litvinov told CNN that they are “90% ready” and that he expects a 70% turnout.
Voters will be asked the question, “Do you support the Act of Independence of People’s Republic of Donetsk?” The options are “yes” or “no.” A similar question will be put to voters in Luhansk.
Meanwhile, in a small town near Slavyansk in the northern Donetsk region, a Russian government-controlled TV channel was periodically showing a banner along the bottom of the screen that told viewers where they can vote in Sunday’s referendum.
That channel, Russia 24, is available over the air to residents of Donetsk, who can access it in their homes.
The banner lists the location and voting hours and advises voters to bring a passport. The banner is only shown on the Russia 24 channel and not on other channels.
The explicit advertising of voting places and times on a Russian state-controlled channel comes as President Vladimir Putin advised pro Russian activists here to delay their vote.
Ukraine government’s concern
Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov told a Ukrainian TV show on Saturday that a move to federalization would be “self-destructive” for eastern Ukraine, according to his official web page.
“It is a step nowhere for these regions. It is euphoria that may lead to very complex consequences and many people can already feel them. Those who call for independence do not realize that it is full destruction of economy, social programs and life in general for the most people in this area.”
Turchynov said he was concerned by some separatists’ attempts to turn Donetsk and Luhansk “into area of constant military actions, economic ruin and no prospects” and urged those not responsible for serious crimes to turn in their weapons in return for amnesty.
Ballot boxes
The electoral commission office in Donetsk was ringed with sandbags and barbed wire as of Saturday morning.
Men in balaclavas lounged outside tents pitched nearby, looking relaxed. They wore the orange-and-black St. George ribbon, which has become a symbol of the pro-Russian separatists.
Some activists could be seen loading ballot boxes into a van for distribution to polling stations. But it’s not yet clear where they will be or how easy it will be for people to cast a ballot if they choose to.
According to the social media pages of the Donetsk Central Election Committee, any resident aged 18 or older who can present a passport with a Donetsk region registration stamp is entitled to vote there.
The polls will stay open for 14 hours, rather than the usual 12, to allow time to add people to the voter list if necessary, the committee said, adding that access to the most recent electoral rolls has been barred by Kyiv.
The activists say ballots will be distributed across the two regions. However, it’s not clear whether they have enough capacity to cover the whole area.
Also unclear is what may happen after the referendum, if it does, in fact, go ahead.
Vote’s legitimacy in question
Results are expected to emerge late Sunday but whatever the outcome, the vote has already been condemned as illegitimate by the interim government in Kyiv, as well as by several Western powers.
Speaking Saturday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, “We consider the referendum scheduled for tomorrow illegitimate and focus on the (presidential) election on May 25 in the entire Ukraine.”
Earlier this week, Russian President Putin also urged the pro-Russian sympathizers to delay the referendum to give dialogue “the conditions it needs to have a chance.”
A woman kisses a World War II veteran in Riga, Latvia, on Friday, May 9, as the country’s large Russian minority gathered to celebrate Victory Day, the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender to the Soviet Union.
Russian soldiers march on Red Square in Moscow during a Victory Day parade.
A veteran adjusts a Soviet Army flag in front of a monument of Vladimir Lenin during a Victory Day celebration in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
At a parade in Sevastopol, Crimea, a woman holds portraits of her relatives who served in the Soviet Army and died during World War II.
Sailors take part in a Victory Day ceremony at the Unknown Sailor Memorial in Odessa, Ukraine.
A woman cries as she lays down flowers during a wreath-laying ceremony in Berlin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, flanked by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and Federal Security Service Chief Alexander Bortnikov, right, arrives at a Victory Day celebration after inspecting battleships in Sevastopol.
Ukrainian police officers stand behind banners during a ceremony in Donetsk, Ukraine.
Russian Air Force fighter jets fly over Red Square in Moscow.
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Photos: Victory Day celebrations
However, representatives of the pro-Russian groups in Donetsk and Luhansk voted to go ahead with it, casting doubt on the West’s contention that Moscow is covertly coordinating the separatist movement.
According to a poll released Thursday, a majority of Ukrainians agree their country should remain a unified state.
The Pew Research Center poll, conducted in the first half of April, found that 77% of Ukrainians want the country to remain united; 70% in the east feel the same. Things differ in Crimea, where 54% of those surveyed voice support for the right to secede.
On Friday, Putin made his first visit to Crimea since the Ukrainian territory was annexed by Russia in March in the wake of a controversial referendum in that region.
His appearance at Victory Day celebrations in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, hours after he took part in a massive military parade in Moscow, was greeted by cheering crowds amid strong pro-Russian sentiment.
In Washington, the White House took notice of Putin’s visit and reiterated its rejection of Crimea’s annexation.
“Such a visit will only serve to fuel tensions,” National Security Council spokeswoman Laura Lucas Magnuson said.
Barricades, polling booths
Back in Donetsk on Saturday, a dozen men lined up in front of the regional administration building to sign up for “military service” with the pro-Russian Donetsk People’s Republic. They showed their ID documents and registered at a small tent.
Putin’s show of force in Crimea
Ukraine: Law enforcement must be decisive
Deadly clashes in Mariupol, Ukraine
Meanwhile, an armored personnel carrier sporting Russian flags drove through with men wearing balaclavas on top, cheered on by some of the security volunteers.
In Mariupol, the simmering tensions between pro-Russian groups and government forces flared into violence Friday after clashes at the city police department.
On the eve of Sunday’s vote, the streets were stained with blood, and City Hall and police station smoldered in ruins.
The situation was tense outside the office belonging to the head of the referendum, protected by sandbags, barbed wire and men in balaclavas.
There also have been deadly clashes in Odessa and Slavyansk, another pro-Russian stronghold where separatists hold key government buildings.
Ukrainian military forces remained in an uneasy standoff with militants in Slavyansk, who have erected concrete barricades on the roads into town.
Ahead of the planned referendum, officials in the town hastily erected polling booths in some places and prepared voter lists. Billboards were so bare of any announcements that Slavyansk hardly seemed a city on the verge of a historic vote.
The self-declared mayor of Slavyansk, Vyacheslav Ponomarev, told a news conference he expected a turnout of “100%,” give or take those few people who were unable to get to polling stations.
However, despite the rhetoric, Putin’s unexpected call to delay the referendum appears to have dented the confidence of some pro-Russian activists.
France, Germany ready to take further sanctions
The interim government in Kyiv, which took power after ousted pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia in February, is due to hold presidential elections May 25.
Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, speaking together in Germany, warned that Russia could face consequences if the presidential vote does not go ahead as planned.
“If no internationally recognized presidential election were to take place, this would inevitably further destabilize the country,” Merkel said.
In that case, she said, “we are ready to take further sanctions against Russia.”
In a joint statement, Merkel and Hollande called for national dialogue and proposals for constitutional reform ahead of the May 25 elections and said the vote should be held under the observation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
They set out a series of steps needed to restore stability to Ukraine and said these must be a priority in the coming days.
“We deeply regret the recent violent events in, among other places, Odessa and Mariupol, which led to unacceptable losses of human lives,” they said in the joint statement.
“The illegal ownership of weapons must immediately come to an end. Weapons should be collected under observation of the OSCE starting on May 15.
“This will make it possible for Ukrainian security forces to refrain from using force in their operations. During this time, the legal use of force to protect people and infrastructures must remain judicious.”
Merkel and Hollande also said that Russian troops along the Ukrainian border “should undertake visible steps to reduce their readiness.”
Putin announced a troop pullback Wednesday but NATO says it has seen no signs of a withdrawal of Russian forces from the border area.
Amid the war of words, Russian state media reported Saturday that Ukraine had prevented a plane carrying Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin from entering its airspace after leaving Moldova.
“This is a flagrant violation of international law,” official news agency RIA Novosti quotes Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky, who was also on the flight, as saying. Rogozin later tweeted that he was back in Moscow.
CNN’s Atika Shubert reported from Donetsk and Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London. CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh, Kellie Morgan, Lindsay Isaac, Ben Brumfield and Michael Martinez, as well as journalists Victoria Butenko and Lena Kashkarova, contributed to this report.