Separatists say they don't see imminent all-out war in east Ukraine

FILEPHOTO: A woman walks past cadets of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine, January 22, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File Photo

DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Politicians and military sources in Russian-backed breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine say they do not see an imminent risk of full-scale war while attempts are still under way to find a diplomatic solution.

A long-simmering conflict between the Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian army is part of a deeper crisis between the two countries in which Russia has massed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders, prompting U.S. warnings of a possible attack within days or weeks.