The UN’s human rights representative in Ukraine has warned that a dark shadow looms over the prospect of holding next weekend’s presidential election in eastern Ukraine. After visiting Donetsk in the east and Odessa in the south, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic said the situation had deteriorated so much that the region could collapse. ‘I felt fear in Donetsk. And it is widespread. And the fear is not only related to security challenges, it’s also related to common criminality,’ he said. Simonovic added that he had received numerous reports of intense pressure being put on election officials in the region, which could put in doubt the possibility of holding the May 25 elections. Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said there has been an increasing number of separatist attacks on polling stations in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with the objective of disrupting Sunday’s elections.