Donbas separatist leader urges referendum on joining Russia

FILE PHOTO -Head of the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin speaks to the media outside the prison, which was damaged by shelling in July in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict, in the settlement of Olenivka in the Donetsk Region, Ukraine August 10, 2022, in this picture taken during a media tour organised by the Russian Defence Ministry. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

Denis Pushilin, head of the Russia-backed separatist Donetsk region of Ukraine, called on his fellow separatist leader of Luhansk province on Monday to combine efforts aimed at preparing a referendum on joining Russia.

In a video posted on social media, he told Luhansk People's Republic leader Leonid Pasechnik in a phone call that "our actions should be synchronised".