KIEV, April 14 (RAPSI) – Acting president of Ukraine Aleksandr Turchinov stated during a parliamentary meeting that a referendum on federalization of Ukraine may be held along with the presidential elections on May 25. Protesters in the town of Slavyansk in Donetsk region, called the statement a stalling tactic and refused to disperse.

Protests for federalization, centered in the cities of Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk, have swept across Ukraine’s eastern and southeastern regions. The demonstrators have been calling for Crimea-style referendums on the status of their regions within Ukraine. The government in Kiev, which has accused the protestors of separatism, has vowed a harsh crackdown.

On February 22, following the escalating violence in the streets of Kiev, Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada (parliament) impeached Viktor Yanukovich and amended the constitution. Presidential authority was assigned to parliament speaker Alexander Turchinov and a presidential election was scheduled for May 25.

Russia has denounced the events in Ukraine as an armed coup. President Vladimir Putin said during a news conference in March that Yanukovych remains Ukraine’s legitimate president.