9.36am BST

Polling stations have opened in a hastily organised referendum in eastern Ukraine, which will ask voters whether they want to create a quasi-independent statelet from the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine, as violence and chaos have plunged the east of the country into what increasingly resembles the beginning of a civil war. Early in the morning, huge queues were visible in the few polling stations open in the southern port city of Mariupol, scene of the most recent violence.

For a vote on which so much hangs, the referendum in Luhansk and Donetsk, which has declared itself a "people's republic", has an ad hoc feel. Ballot papers have been printed without security provision, polling stations were limited in some areas and there was confusion on quite what people were asked to endorse. The vote is going ahead despite a call by Russian president Vladimir Putin for a postponement.

Polling stations opened at 8am local time (6am GMT) and were due to close at 10pm (8pm GMT). Referendum organisers said they expected a high turnout, even though the security situation remained unstable around much of the area where the vote was held. There were no reports of fighting as voting got under way, but insurgents in the city of Slavyansk, which has seen some of the most violent clashes between pro-Russian militants and government forces in recent weeks, exchanged fire with Ukrainian troops on the outskirts of the city overnight.

Organisers of Sunday's vote have said that only later will a decision be made on whether they would use their nominal sovereignty to seek full independence, absorption by Russia or to stay part of Ukraine but with expanded power for the regions.

Surveys by polling companies have indicated that a significant majority of people in Ukraine reject movements to break away parts of the country. Ukraine's interim president said supporters of independence for the east "don't understand that this would be a complete destruction of the economy, social programs and general life for the majority of the population".



Germany and France have threatened Russia with further sanctions if the 25 May election in Ukraine does not go ahead as planned. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, urged Putin to do more to calm the situation, warning that a separatist referendum being held on Sunday would be "illegal".

We'll have live coverage here throughout the day.

