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 Kiev 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, 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.

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The head of the referendum committee, Boris Litvinov, insisted that the vote on greater local powers would go ahead and that preparations are well under way.

He told CNN that they are '90% ready' and that he expects a 70% turnout.

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.

Also unclear is what may happen after the referendum, if it goes 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 Kiev, as well as by several Western powers.

Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin also urged the pro-Russian sympathizers to delay the referendum to give dialogue 'the conditions it needs to have a chance.'

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.

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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.

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 self-declared 'Donetsk People's Republic.' They showed their ID documents and registered at a small tent.

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Meanwhile, an armored personnel carrier sporting Russian flags drove through with men wearing balaclavas on top, cheered on by some of the security volunteers. The vehicle was apparently taken by the pro-Russians from the outskirts of the city but it was not clear exactly how they obtained it.

In Mariupol, the simmering tensions between pro-Russian groups and government forces flared into violence Friday after clashes at the city police department.

There have also been deadly clashes in Odessa and the town of Slovyansk, another pro-Russian stronghold where separatists hold key government buildings.

France, Germany urge steps toward stability

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande called Saturday for greater efforts to de-escalate the tensions, and set out steps needed to restore stability to Ukraine.

'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 (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) 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.

The interim government in Kiev, 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 Hollande called for those elections to be held under the observation of the OSCE.

'If no internationally recognized presidential election were to take place, this would inevitably further destabilize the country,' they said.

CNN's Atika Shubert reported from Donetsk and Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London.

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