“Escape” — An Exhibition at the Museum of European Cultures in Berlin

The exhibition portrays people who were forced to leave their homes after russia’s attack on Ukraine. It features both Ukrainians and russians. That may sound empathetic — but it is not value-neutral.

“It’s about Ukrainian war refugees and russian emigrants.
Both could no longer remain in their homeland.”
“We wanted to show their trauma with empathy and preserve their dignity.”

Why this framing is problematic

Portraying Ukrainians and russians as equally displaced creates a false moral equivalence between the real victims of war and people from the country that started the aggression. It replaces truth with comfort — and justice with aesthetics.

What Ukrainians flee from — and what russians flee from

Such framing distorts the power dynamics of this war. It suggests that all these people fled comparable dangers — but that is not true.

Ukrainians flee from invasion, occupation, mass killings, and the destruction of civilian life.
russians flee from conscription, sanctions, or the discomfort of living under their own regime.

“Empathy” without responsibility is avoidance

As one curator said: “It’s about showing trauma with empathy.”
But empathy that ignores responsibility is not empathy — it is denial.

When art treats the victims and citizens of the aggressor state as equals, it depoliticizes violence and turns injustice into an aesthetic experience.

“russia’s victimhood narrative is part of the crime.” — Timothy Snyder

Many russian “refugees” have never publicly condemned the war, keeping open the possibility of return — even to the regime itself. Some continue to reproduce imperial narratives about neighboring states. Portraying them as innocent victims obscures complicity, not resistance.
In doing so, russia’s role as aggressor is softened — and Ukraine’s calls for justice and accountability are undermined.

When “shared suffering” silences justice

Such projects blur Ukrainian suffering.
They turn a brutal invasion into a supposedly shared humanitarian tragedy.

“Everyone who flees suffers” sounds compassionate — but in this war, it reflects moral blindness. It erases responsibility, equates guilt, and blurs the line between victim and perpetrator.

Whose stories are centered?

russian voices remain in focus, Ukrainian ones pushed to the margins.
The old hierarchies persist — this is not decolonization.

Art is never neutral

Least of all in times of war.
The choice to present victims and perpetrators side by side is not a gesture of peace — it is an act of depoliticization.
It prioritizes comfort over justice, reconciliation over resistance, and silence over truth.

True empathy begins with truth

We call on cultural institutions and curators to:
— Prioritize Ukrainian voices and agency
— Name russian responsibility
— Avoid framing the war as a “shared tragedy”
— Expose the asymmetry — military, political, and moral

Because art holds power.
And power comes with responsibility.

📅 August 24.08.2025

🕓 16:00–18:00

📍 Blaue Kirche (Breitscheidplatz) → Brandenburg Gate

This year, we are once again taking to the streets of Berlin — not just to celebrate, but to remember.

To remember that independence was not a gift — we restored it. And since 1991, we’ve had to defend it time and time again — through revolutions, resistance, and war.

This year’s demonstration is held under the slogan “Future Needs Memory” — because we know:

❗️ Memory helps prevent the repetition of past mistakes

❗️ Memory resists colonial erasure and propaganda

❗️ Memory is part of our national identity

❗️ Without memory of the road we’ve taken, there can be no free future

Our march will raise urgent demands:

• The return of over 200,000 Ukrainian civilians — including thousands of children — illegally deported to russia.
• The release of Ukrainian prisoners of war still held in russian captivity.
• Continued international partner and defence support to uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty
• Recognition that Ukraine’s fight is a European fight — for freedom, justice, and peace.
• Honoring those who have sacrificed their lives, lost loved ones, and suffered due to russia’s war of aggression.

Your presence will show that defenders of democracy around the world stand united in supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and the right of its people to live in peace.

📌 If you represent an organization and wish to join the march with your own column, please fill out the form: https://forms.gle/UB3fXEHhp1xb5upN8

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this urgent conversation on Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure and the controversial Law 12414.

The live event is over — but you can watch the full recording here:
https://youtube.com/live/YM4TgDawdpU 

When institutions are pressured from the top, civic resistance becomes essential. Protest doesn’t weaken Ukraine — it proves that society is defending its democratic foundations.

With:
– Iryna Shulikina (@iryna_shulikina), Director of Vitsche Berlin
– Inna Nelles (@panna__inna), strategic communications expert, co-founder of the German-Ukrainian Bureau, and key figure in civil society reforms (live from Kyiv)

📌 Topics we covered:

✔️ Why NABU and SAPO matter for Ukraine’s future
✔️ What triggered the backlash against Law 12414
✔️ Whether russian interests are involved — or if this is simply bad reform
✔️ Why civil society is mobilizing — and what this means for EU integration
✔️ What role Germany and international partners can play

On July 22, 2025, the Ukrainian parliament passed Law No. 12414, which places the main anti-corruption agencies under the control of the Prosecutor General.

Simply explained:
The NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) and SAPO (Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office) had previously been independent — they investigated corruption in the government, including within the president’s circle.
In the future, their work will be controlled by a structure subordinate to the Prosecutor General — and the Prosecutor General is appointed by the president. This means that the investigators must now report to those they are actually supposed to investigate.
This undermines the independent oversight that has been built since the Revolution of Dignity in 2014 and violates the EU accession criteria.

How are Ukrainians reacting?
This decision has sparked the largest protests since the start of the full-scale russian invasion in 2022. Citizens, veterans’ groups, activists, journalists, and lawyers took to the streets in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Odesa.

People called on the president not to sign the law in order to preserve the independence of anti-corruption oversight. They are demonstrating for their country — to protect the democratic path and international trust.
However, on the evening of July 22, President Zelensky still signed Law No. 12414 — despite public pressure from the protests.

How could Russia exploit this?
Internal political crises are ideal fuel for russian propaganda.
Through disinformation, fake narratives, and targeted manipulation, the Kremlin is trying to weaken Western support for Ukraine.

But this does not harm the government; it undermines Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against the russian attack.

What can we do?
Stay vigilant against russian disinformation — they will try to exploit situations like this for their own interests. Therefore, rely on independent Ukrainian media.

Remind politicians and societies in the EU:
Ukrainians are disappointed by this law, are taking to the streets, and are resisting. Right now, it is about supporting Ukraine. Because less support does not hit “those at the top,” but the people who fight every day — at the front, in hospitals, in destroyed cities. Stand by Ukraine — out of loyalty to those who bravely stand up for democracy and freedom.

Support the Ukrainian Defense Forces
Ukraine needs us — and it needs us now. The defense forces, in particular, face enormous challenges in protecting the country and its people.

Support reliable aid funds or units directly — so that vital equipment reaches where it is needed.

What is necessary now:

• Pressure from institutions like the IMF and the EU on the power structures in Ukraine.

• Withdrawal of visa-free travel for those who voted for Law No. 12414.

• Sanctions against officials who voted for or pushed this law forward.

Together with GZA Europe, we are once again organizing a demonstration against the performance of Anna Netrebko at the Classic Open Air Festival in Berlin.

📅 July 21, 6:00–9:00 PM
📍 Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin

This time, we are preparing something special.

We want everyone attending this concert to see:
It is shameful to offer a stage to someone who has supported Vladimir Putin.
That’s why it is important that we remain visible throughout the entire event.

What is happening?

On July 21, 2025, Anna Netrebko is scheduled to perform at the Classic Open Air Festival at Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin.

Her appearance is being promoted as a “Top Event” on VisitBerlin.de – a platform partially funded with public money by the Berlin Senate.

Why should Netrebko not be given a stage?

– 2010: Appeared in a dress printed with “Nach Berlin!” and wearing the St. George’s ribbon – both now symbols of Russian war propaganda.
– 2012: Publicly supported Vladimir Putin’s presidential “election.”
– 2014: Donated 1 million rubles to separatists in Donetsk and posed with the flag of “Novorossiya” – a symbol of Russian occupation.
– 2021: Celebrated her birthday in the Kremlin and received personal congratulations from Putin.
– Since 2007: Patron of an SOS Children’s Village in Tomilino, near Moscow.
In 2022, Ukrainian children were deported to that same facility — forcibly taken from their homes and used for Russian propaganda.
Netrebko has never commented on this and has not ended her patronage — even though the deportation of children with the intent to erase national identity is clearly defined as genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
– To this day: No clear distancing from the regime. No word about the aggressor. Instead: complaints about “Russophobia.”

What have we done?

We have once again sent an open letter to the Berlin authorities — addressed to Berlin City Hall (Rotes Rathaus), the Classic Open Air Festival at Gendarmenmarkt, DEAG Classics AG, and the VisitBerlin platform.
So far, there has been no response.

Already in 2023, following Netrebko’s first performance in Berlin after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, we issued an open letter.
It was signed by numerous organizations and prominent individuals — including Timothy Snyder, Oleksandra Matviichuk, and many more.

📄 You can download the full text of the current open letter here:

OPEN LETTER 3 _ No Stage for Anna Netrebko!

What can you do?

📍 Join the demonstration:
Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin
July 21, 2025 | 6:30 PM

📩 Write to the organizers:
info@deag.de | tickets@classicopenair.de

We kindly ask you to adhere to the principles of German freedom of speech law.

🔁 Share this call — art must not legitimize propaganda.

🙏 Thank you to everyone supporting our work — your solidarity fuels our protests, research, and actions.
If you’re able to, please consider donating so we can stay loud and visible:
https://vitsche.org/donate/

Vitsche once again calls for the immediate closure of the “russian House” still operating on Berlin’s Friedrichstraße. We cannot tolerate that this institution — a direct extension of the Kremlin’s sanctioned propaganda network — continues to operate freely in the heart of the German capital. While russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, Berlin is hosting a building that serves as an ideological, political, and logistical platform for the Kremlin’s subversive goals.

Public Funding for Kremlin Soft Power Must End

Despite Rossotrudnichestvo — the russian state agency that operates the russian House — being under full EU sanctions since 2022, Germany continues to fund this institution indirectly. The federal government pays its annual property tax — €70,000 from the public purse — while russian missiles fall on Ukrainian cities. This isn’t about tolerating russian culture, it is actively harming German and European security.

A Hub of Propaganda, Not Culture

Rossotrudnichestvo has been identified by the EU as a network of influence agents. The russian House is not merely “promoting culture” — it is whitewashing war crimes, legitimizing imperial narratives, and facilitating pro-Kremlin activism in Germany. Investigations by Berlin’s Prosecutor’s Office, the Central Office for Sanctions Enforcement, and multiple journalists reveal an ecosystem of sanctioned actors, extremists, and russian intelligence operatives operating out of this building.

The russian House has repeatedly violated sanctions by generating income through language courses, workshops, film screenings, and restaurant sales. These are not isolated oversights — they are blatant, ongoing violations of EU law. Visitors can walk in, pay cash, and participate in a full schedule of events while Berlin authorities stand by.

Ties to the German Far-Right and Authoritarian Actors

The russian House provides a platform for AfD officials, russian-speaking extremists, and propagandists such as Jürgen Elsässer and Elena Kolbasnikova. The institution is a known venue for COMPACT events, far-right “peace” demonstrations, and so-called humanitarian fundraisers for “Donbas separatists”, namely the russian army. This is not “freedom of expression” — this is state-backed collaboration with an authoritarian aggressor under the guise of culture.

The House also hosts groups like Druschba Global and Vadar e.V., both deeply embedded in pro-russian and anti-Ukrainian activism. These networks celebrate militaristic Soviet nostalgia, spread disinformation, and openly support russian war aims.

Complicity of Germany’s Quiet Return of Cultural Diplomacy to russia

While Germany debates sanction enforcement under its new government, the Goethe-Institut under the Federal Foreign Office have begun quietly resuming cultural programs in russia. After freezing most activities in response to the 2022 invasion, they now offer mobility grants, exhibitions, and artist exchanges — all funded by German taxpayers.

One Goethe-Institut open call, referencing the painter Caspar David Friedrich, invokes vague phrases about “armed conflicts” and “migration flows” without once naming russia’s aggression. This language mirrors Kremlin disinformation that shifts blame to nameless “global instability” — a rhetorical sleight of hand that de-politicizes russia’s war of aggression.

At the Arbuzz Gallery in Moscow, publicly funded exhibitions now feature Soviet symbols, red stars, and militaristic imagery — all recontextualized as harmless “heritage” while the russian military levels Ukrainian cities. This aesthetic laundering of russian imperial violence is ethically indefensible.

We Call on Germany to Use Every Legal Mechanism to Shut Down the russian House

We urge the Federal Government, the Federal Foreign Office, the Berlin Senate, and the Ministry of Finance to immediately apply all available tools under EU sanctions law, property law, and financial enforcement mechanisms to close the russian House. Moreover we want to extend our public invitation to the representative of Ministry of International Affair for a public interview during our demonstration on June 25th. It’s time to speak.

There is legal precedent. The enforcement of sanctions includes prohibitions on income generation and the commercial use of frozen property. The building is not neutral ground — it is the Berlin headquarters of a sanctioned state agency under direct control of the russian MFA. That qualifies it for asset freeze and operational shutdown under existing EU law.

Our Demands:

• Immediately shut down the russian House and enforce EU sanctions without exception.
• Use sanctions enforcement and property seizure laws to freeze all commercial activity on site.
• Cease all public funding of sanctioned entities, directly or indirectly.
• Investigate all financial transactions and organizational partnerships linked to the russian House.
• Suspend all Goethe-Institut and Auswärtiges Amt funding of cultural exchanges with russian institutions and individuals until political accountability mechanisms are established.
• Implement strict political screening for russian nationals receiving mobility funding from any German taxpayer-funded institution.
• End all double standards that undermine German support for Ukraine while enabling russian influence and soft power.

Cultural diplomacy cannot operate in a vacuum while war crimes are committed

No more euphemisms. No more neutrality masquerading as peacebuilding. Germany must not fund russian propaganda — in Berlin, Moscow, or anywhere else.

From June 12 through July 31, join us every Thursday for a series of intimate talks and conversations. We’ll explore Ukraine through the lenses of memory, music, identity and geopolitics.

These Thursday evenings invite reflection, dialogue and connection—over a glass of wine and with an open mind, in the cozy Berlin-Wedding neighborhood.

Our guests—scholars, intellectuals, musicians and authors—will speak on what shapes Ukraine today and how it’s transforming Europe.

• Start: 6:30 PM

• Location: Berlin, Wedding
  (Exact address provided after registration; see link below.)

• Admission: Donation from €7 (includes one glass of wine)

• Seats are limited—registration required

• Languages: German and English

REGISTER HERE

Program:

June 12 | 6:30 PM

Prof. Dr. Yulia Shtaltovna
Professor of International and Intercultural Management, Dean of Studies (IBM program), Hochschule Fresenius, Berlin

What the World Can Learn from Ukraine
Drawing on her recent co-authored article (with Valerii Pekar) in New Eastern Europe, Prof. Shtaltovna reflects on how Ukrainian society has demonstrated remarkable resilience, self-organization and adaptability in the face of full-scale war—qualities from which the rest of the world can take valuable lessons. She’ll show how Ukrainians turn crises into opportunities for unity, growth and civic strength, and how those strategies might inspire other societies during times of upheaval.

Language of the evening: English

June 26 | 6:30 PM

Nikolai Klimeniouk
Journalist

Beyond Propaganda: How Russian Influencers and Regime Critics Play into the Kremlin’s Hands
While russian state propaganda—and its allies in Western politics and media—claim that Russia’s war on Ukraine is primarily the West’s fault and portray Russia as security-minded and peace-seeking, even regime critics often reinforce the Kremlin narrative by depicting it as all-powerful, stable yet unpredictable and uncompromising. Klimeniouk will examine why the notion of Putin’s regime as driven above all by power retention and profit (rather than mass popular support) serves to steer discussions toward negotiations and compromise.

Language of the evening: English

July 3 | 6:30 PM

Prof. Andrii Portnov
Professor of Entangled Ukrainian History, European University Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder)

Germany and Ukraine—Is There a Path to Deeper Understanding and Genuine Partnership?
Historian and public intellectual Prof. Portnov explores the complex relations between Ukraine and Germany—past and present. Why do persistent misunderstandings endure despite shared interests? What historical and political blind spots obstruct an equal and open dialogue? And what steps are needed, amid war, European integration and memory politics, to build a true partnership? He’ll draw on a decade of academic and civil-society collaboration between the two countries.

Language of the evening: English

July 10 | 6:30 PM

Yuriy Gurzhy
Musician, Composer, DJ and Author

An Aquarium Full of Keys: Kharkiv and the Pictures of My Father
This fall 2025 sees the publication (Edition Fröhlich) of Gurzhy’s second book, An Aquarium Full of Keys. Kharkiv and the Pictures of My Father—a collection of short stories about his recent journeys home, accompanied by photographs from his father Alexander Gurzhy’s archive. Tonight he’ll read selections from the work in progress, display chosen images, and perhaps even add musical interludes.

Language of the evening: German

July 17 | 6:30 PM

Dr. Stefanie Eisenhuth
Postdoctoral Researcher and Adjunct Professor, University of Greifswald; Gerda Henkel Foundation Research Fellow

Germany’s “Coming to Terms” with the Past: Myths, Challenges and Political Impact
Dr. Eisenhuth will guide us through Germany’s complex process of Vergangenheitsbewältigung—the confrontation with its National Socialist past—in East and West Germany after 1945. After an introductory overview of how each state faced (or evaded) this history, she’ll focus on the blind spots in German memory culture: why and how the experiences of Eastern and Central Europe were marginalized. In the context of Russia’s war on Ukraine, we’ll discuss how these gaps shape public attitudes and political responses to current aggression.

Language of the evening: English

July 24

Ostap Sereda
(confirmation pending)

July 31

Viktoria Sereda
(confirmation pending)

REGISTER HERE

Yes, the demonstration is taking place for the third time, as Anna Netrebko has once again been invited to perform at the Berlin State Opera. This time, we have decided to do it differently — to clearly show what the “russkiy Mir” ideology supported by Mrs. Netrebko truly means.

For reasons unknown, Berlin State Opera is giving the stage — for the third time — to a public supporter of Vladimir Putin.

We cannot accept that Anna Netrebko, who in 2014 supported the russian occupation of Crimea and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and who has yet to acknowledge her mistakes, is allowed to perform as if nothing happened.

Netrebko is a prime example of russia’s soft power: using culture to spread propaganda and disinformation under the guise of “high culture.” She has not clearly distanced herself from her long-standing support for Putin.

By publicly endorsing him, she helped legitimize the occupation of Ukrainian territories since 2014 and contributed to the escalation that led to the full-scale invasion. In her so-called “anti-war” statement, she didn’t even name russia as the aggressor — instead, she reaffirmed her emotional bond with the country.

On May 15, we will show what this kind of “love” means in practice. russia’s “love” is felt through double missile strikes aimed at killing first responders. That’s exactly what happened to the small Ukrainian ambulance called Barwinka, from Derhachi in the Kharkiv region. On March 12, 2022, it was hit while responding to an emergency.

Together with Fellas4Europe, we are bringing Barwinka to Berlin for the protest at 18:30 on May 15.

👉 15. Mai, 18:30 Uhr
📍Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin

Join us — with your voices and your posters — to clearly show the consequences of normalizing russian propaganda on Berlin’s cultural stages.

If opera visitors choose to look away from russian war crimes, we will make sure those crimes are brought to their doorstep.