Proximity along contact line in east Ukraine raises violence risks - OSCE

A local resident gestures while standing in his garage, which was damaged during the recent exchange of fire between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists, on the outskirts of Donetsk, Ukraine, February 12, 2016. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

BERLIN (Reuters) - International monitors want Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists to pull further apart along the line of contact in east Ukraine, a senior official with Europe's main security and rights watchdog said on Monday.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which monitors the implementation of a ceasefire agreed last year, says the two sides had pushed their positions forward in some locations, narrowing the distance between them to a few hundred metres and increasing the risk of violence.