Recent violent events in the Donetsk region are distressing and entirely inconsistent with the spirit of the Geneva statement agreed by the European Union, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the United States, the head of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine Ambassador Ertugral Apakan said today.

"The reported torture and killing of two individuals, including a local politician, are grave incidents,” said  Apakan. “This represents a significant escalation of what is already a tense situation. Furthermore, the harassment and abduction of journalists is unacceptable. They should be released immediately."