Slovyansk (15 miles away) on 4 July. On 27 June, the Donetsk Mayor said the sewage pumping station was not operational in Slovyansk, causing all sewage to flow untreated into the river which is relied on by people in downstream towns for drinking water. Semenivka, in the suburbs of Slovyansk, has suffered so much damage from the fighting it likely will not be repaired. 171. In the Donetsk and Luhansk regions there have been at least 24 explosions of railway lines, bridges and freight trains since 19 June. There are concerns that these acts are part of the armed group’s policy to control and raise corrupt profits from trade, as train transport is harder to control than trucks. Meanwhile, in mid-July residents of Donetsk were reported to be waiting for hours in order to catch a train to leave the area, anticipating the blockade around their city that the Government had warned it would impose. Damage to public transportation negatively affects the right to an adequate standard of living. 172. In Crimea, water supply through the North Crimean Canal was blocked by the Ukrainian Department of the North Crimean Canal on 12 May. As much as 80% of Crimea’s water reserves used to come from mainland Ukraine. While this situation will not affect drinking water, the consequences of the decision to halt water supply have already started being felt on the harvest of crops, particularly rice and potatoes, which was lower than in the previous year. VIII. MINORITY RIGHTS AND OTHER GROUPS FACING DISCRIMINATION 173. Despite the escalation of violence in the east and the rise of hate speech, particularly in social media, incidents of actual harassments or violent attacks on minorities remain isolated and rare.96 Representatives of ethnic and national groups who the HRMMU have spoken to, do not report any systematic negativism or discrimination against them. 174. A few individual cases of hostility and anti-minority acts were reported to the HRMMU. For example, on 25 June in Ivano-Frankivsk region, an activist of the Ukrainian Greek Ethnic and Cultural Society had his property defaced with the Russian and armed groups’ flags. He believes it was done by the local Self Defence group who have threatened him previously for questioning the lawfulness of their activities. He also believes there is a connection to his Greek ethnic origin and perceives the situation as inciting hostile attitudes in the region. On 3 July, in Mykolaiv, a monument commemorating Holocaust victims was defaced with brilliant green dye. 175. Representatives of some ethnic communities raised specific concerns about intolerant attitudes towards them. For instance, Roma activist mentioned to the HRMMU that Roma IDPs are less likely to receive help, particularly accommodation; in several towns and villages, local authorities requested Roma families to leave; some local residents were also hostile. People belonging to the Chechen minority fear that because citizens of the Russian Federation from the Republic of Chechnya are known to have participated in the fighting in the eastern regions of Ukraine, people belonging to the Chechen minority in Ukraine might eventually face threats and discrimination. 96 In her visit to Ukraine in April, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues reported that the country had a history of harmonious inter-ethnic and inter-faith relations and a legislative, policy and social environment that is generally conducive to the protection of their rights, including cultural and linguistic rights. Nevertheless it was noted that some grievances do exist and that minority rights had become a highly politicized issue. 165 | P a g e