Separatist leaders in the contested regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine have scheduled contentious referendums on accession to Russia. The votes are to be held from September 23 to 27, the head of the Luhansk separatist parliament, Denis Miroshnichenko, said on Tuesday, according to the Interfax news agency, and shortly afterwards the Donetsk People's Assembly.

The simultaneous referendums are seen as a reaction to the current Ukrainian counter-offensive in the east of the country.