Two civilians were killed. The chief surgeon of the hospital was gravely wounded, and died on 4 June. 173. IDPs from Slovyansk have described to the HRMMU the situation they have faced for the past weeks. They claim that the Ukrainian air force was shelling the city and bombed a kindergarten. They also said that for two months they did not receive any social benefits. Some of them left male members behind, and/or their parents or grandparents. A hotline at the disposal of IDPs or people who are considering leaving the areas affected by fighting is run by a few Red Cross activists. Transport of people who come to the check points is mostly organized by “Auto-Maidan” activists. Reception centres for arriving IDPs organised the initial assistance they received, including psycho-social. Widening protection gap and erosion of the rule of law 174. With the presence of armed groups in seized and occupied government buildings, and checkpoints, which shift hands as they are taken over by armed groups or the Ukrainian security and law enforcement units involved in the security operations, the human rights of the residents of the northern part of Donetsk region and parts of the Luhansk region are threatened. 175. With the demise of security, the rule of law and governance, the protection gap is widening. Armed groups physically occupy key public and administrative buildings in many cities and towns of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and have declared virtual “independence”. However, they are not undertaking any governing responsibilities. In addition, the atmosphere of fear and intimidation, particularly following the abductions and killing of town councillors and public civil servants, prevent many local officials from going to work. 176. Of particular concern is the continued erosion of the rule of law and the limited capacity of the Government to protect residents from the ever increasing acts of violence. Many of the attacks and abductions by armed groups target journalists, elected representatives and civil society activists. The number of armed robberies and shootings of residents has also been increasing. 177. The difficulty of providing public services impacts the daily life of residents of the regions, including the disruption of public transport (airports remain closed and rail services are disrupted); numerous checkpoints on the roads; lack of access to cash through banks; and earlier reports of schools and kindergartens being repeatedly closed before the summer holidays began in early June. Regional governments have endeavoured to make the necessary arrangements so that local residents are able to carry on with their daily lives. While this remains possible in the larger cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, and the less affected southern part of the Donetsk region, this is a challenge in the northern part of the Donetsk region. As a consequence, there are reportedly increased numbers of people leaving the area, in particular in the areas of Slovyansk; primarily women with children (see section B, Chapter V). 178. In the main cities, there were a few rallies supporting or opposing the self-proclaimed republics. On 13 May, hundreds of local residents of the Luhansk region addressed a petition to the Government of Ukraine, stating that they did not recognise the results of the “referendum", and demanding more proactive and effective action to free the region from 100 | P a g e