Russia's deputy prime minister said Sunday he had managed to bring to Moscow boxes of petitions asking Russia to recognize Moldova's breakaway Transdniestr region despite an attempt by authorities in Chisinau to confiscate them.

Transdniestr, which borders Ukraine and is mainly Russian-speaking, declared independence from Moldova in 1990 and has Russian troops stationed there but is not recognized by any country.

French President Francois Hollande starts a three-day visit to the South Caucasus on Sunday as he seeks to bolster European ties on Russia's southern doorstep amid the crisis in Ukraine.

Hollande was due to arrive in the Azerbaijani capital Baku around 6:00 pm (1300 GMT) Sunday, on the same day separatists in eastern Ukraine held referendums on breaking away from the country.

Pro-Russian rebels claimed a massive turnout in a vote they held Sunday to split east Ukraine into two independent republics, though Kiev slammed it as a "farce" amid Western fears it could lead to civil war.

Thousands of people queued in front of a limited number of polling stations in the restive provinces of Donetsk and Lugansk to cast their ballots, Agence France Presse journalists in several towns reported.

Lithuanians began voting Sunday to elect their president, with incumbent "Iron Lady" Dalia Grybauskaite an apparent shoo-in as fears in the EU Baltic state soar over a resurgent Russia.

The karate black belt, nicknamed for her Thatcheresque resolve, is poised to win a second term as many here who remember Soviet times see her as a their best hope amid Europe's worst standoff with Moscow since the Cold War.

French President Francois Hollande said Saturday the sale of two Mistral warships to Russia would continue "for now" despite the West's worsening relations with Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.

"The contract was signed in 2011, it is being carried out and will be completed by next October," said Hollande during a press briefing in Germany, where he met with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

France and Germany Saturday threatened Russia with "consequences" if Moscow disrupts Ukrainian presidential elections later this month, stepping up diplomatic pressure on the eve of "illegal" referendums the West fears will split the country apart.

In a joint statement, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also urged Ukraine's security forces to stop their offensive on rebel-held positions in the run-up to the planned May 25 presidential part.

The flag of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic flew in Riga Friday in a show of support from Latvia's large Russian minority for pro-Moscow separatists in Ukraine.

"It is unfortunate that there are people trying to mar a commemorative event with such provocations," Latvian foreign ministry spokesman Karlis Eihenbaums told Agence France Presse.

Russia's deputy prime minister visited Moldova's breakaway Russian-speaking region of Transdniestr on Friday in the most senior visit since the start of the crisis in neighboring Ukraine.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin vowed support and protection from Ukraine as he visited and watched a military parade in the city of Tiraspol in an apparent endorsement of pro-Russian separatists there.

Pro-Russian rebels fighting in eastern Ukraine on Friday tapped a man authorities in Kiev suspect is a colonel in the Russian security services to lead their insurgency.

Igor Strelkov, currently heading the militants in the flashpoint city of Slavyansk, has been "put forward" to become "the commander of all self-defense forces in (the region of) Donbass," said the self-proclaimed governor of Donetsk, Pavlo Gubarev.

Germany's Angela Merkel from Friday will host French President Francois Hollande in a picturesque Baltic coastal town for informal talks meant to strengthen the personal chemistry between the two European leaders.

A range of pressing issues -- including the tense standoff with Moscow over Ukraine, European elections in two weeks and a possible major trans-border corporate deal -- will be on the agenda of the two-day visit starting 1400 GMT on what is the EU's official "Europe Day".