“terrorists who do not allow us to live in peace” and to pay more attention to the concerns of the population. 179. According to NGOs, the week preceding the “referendum” of 11 May, over 500 apartments were reportedly put up for sale in Donetsk in just a few days as people were seeking means to leave. Since then, an average of 20 families leave the region every day. Presidential elections 180. After the “referendum”, representatives of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” openly declared their intention to obstruct the 25 May Presidential election. Physical attempts to disrupt the election in these two regions were stepped up, with reports of attacks against electoral commissions. As a result, the CEC stated that in 24 districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions the election was obstructed due to illegal acts by armed groups and supporters of the self-proclaimed “People’s Republics”. According to official CEC figures, 82 % of the voters in the Donetsk region, and 88 % of voters in Luhansk region were thus deprived of their right to vote. Elections of Mayors due to take place in Antratsyt, Lisichansk and Severodonetsk in the Luhansk region also had to be cancelled due to such illegal activities. 181. There was a similar pattern of attacks on District Election Commissions (DEC) and Precinct Election Commissions (PEC). An armed group of between five to fifteen people representing the “Donetsk People’s Republic” would come to a Commission or polling station. Claiming that the Presidential election was illegal, they would seize office equipment and DEC/PEC protocols and stamps. Generally, they would detain the head of the commission for several hours or, in some cases for several days, subjecting individuals to interrogation and reportedly at times ill-treatment and torture. 182. On 13 May, representatives of the “Donetsk People's Republic” reportedly entered a DEC in Horlivka, demanding documents and office equipment and requesting that the staff leave the premises. The electoral staff refused to obey this. Two hours later the men returned, armed with baseball bats. The staff left, grabbing the most important documents and official stamps. A similar incident occurred in a DEC in Starobeshevo (Luhansk region) on 14 May. The DEC members were ordered to leave the building with threats to their families, should they return. 183. On 7 May, unknown groups of people broke into a DEC in Kuybyshevskiy district, seizing equipment containing electoral information. Upon arrival at the scene, the police did not intervene. Other examples of attacks by armed groups on DECs and TECs include incidents in Artemivsk, Donetsk and Metalist (near Amrosiyivka) on 20, 21 and 25 May. 184. Election commission members also faced attacks, with many abducted and detained. On 9 May, an armed group abducted a member of the DEC in Kramatorsk. He was taken to the occupied City Council and released after being interrogated. On 20 May, a member of the PEC in Mariupol was detained by armed persons, beaten up and then released. 185. Skirmishes around the electoral process included an incident on 25 May, when a group of armed people of the “Luhansk People’s Republic” reportedly attacked and stole the ballots from the PEC in Novoaydarsk in the Luhansk region. Ukrainian soldiers pursued the armed group. A violent confrontation took place, during which two members of the armed group 101 | P a g e