"KIEV, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" are planning to hold a referendum on seceding from Ukraine and joining Russia, the Donetsk-based Ostrov news agency reported Wednesday.
The referendum is scheduled to be held in two to four weeks after the Oct. 18 local elections, said the news agency.
The ballot papers for the referendum designed in the colors of the Russian flag have already been printed, it said.
Neither the rebel leadership nor the Ukrainian authorities have commented on the report yet."