PRO-RUSSIA activists in eastern Ukraine decided today to proceed with a referendum on autonomy despite a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin to delay.

The Donetsk People’s Republic organisation leader Denis Pushilin said the decision to go ahead with Sunday’s vote as planned had been unanimous.

Mr Putin had urged the group on Wednesday to delay the referendum but Mr Pushilin said that, although the suggestion to postpone the vote “came from a person who indeed cares for the people of the south-east” of Ukraine, “we are the bullhorn of the people.”

He added: “There are millions of people who want to cast their votes. 

“Even if we had voted against holding the referendum, it would have happened anyway. 

“Civil war has already begun. The referendum can put a stop to it and start a political process.”

Millions of ballot papers have been prepared for the vote.

Mr Putin’s comments on Wednesday had appeared to be an effort to step back from confrontation over Ukraine.

However, the Kiev government declared aggressively that “anti-terror” operations would continue regardless of the rebels’ decision and interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniyuk dismissed Mr Putin’s calls as “hot air.”

Kiev’s national security council confirmed that military operations against Ukrainian pro-Russians would continue.

“The counter-terrorist operation will go on regardless of any decisions by any subversive or terrorist groups in the Donetsk region,” council secretary Andriy Parubiy declared.

Mr Putin announced on Wednesday that Russia has pulled its troops away from the Ukrainian border.

But Nato and Washington spokesmen said yesterday that they saw no signs of any withdrawal.

The Russian president also spoke more positively about the Ukrainian interim government’s plan to hold presidential elections on May 25, calling it a “step in the right direction,” but reiterated Russia’s long-standing contention that it should be preceded by constitutional reforms.

Mr Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov added yesterday that the election could only be considered legitimate if the Kiev government stopped “punitive operations” in the east and began a national dialogue on resolving the crisis.