OSCE chief monitor in Ukraine troubled by violence escalation in Donetsk region

The latest escalation of violence in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region is a violation of the April 17 Geneva agreements, the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Ambassador Ertugral Apakan, said in a statement.

"The reported torture and killing of two individuals, including a local politician, are grave incidents," Apakan said in his statement, which was published on the OSCE Web site on Wednesday.

"This represents a significant escalation of what is already a tense situation," he said.

"Furthermore, the harassment and abduction of journalists is unacceptable. They should be released immediately," Apakan said.