epa04195607 Armed pro-Russian activists gather on the steps of the Regional Interior Ministry building in Lugansk, Ukraine, 07 May 2014. Pro-Russian forces in Ukraine have been pressing for the 11 May referendum in the provinces of Lugansk and Donetsk, arguing that they want to be independent from Ukraine and merged with a greater Russia. A referendum on independence for eastern Ukrainian independence needs to be delayed and peace restored in the region, said Russian President Vladimir Putin 07 May, even as government and separatist forces clashed anew. EPA/IGOR KOVALENKO
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