In light of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, we are witnessing how the so-called 'collective West' is entitled to choose what topics are discussed and in what words, while the actual action on the ground remains in the hands of Eastern communities. Why is this so? How to explain this gap between the power to decide and the willingness to express solidarity and compassion? Whose voices are heard and whose are silenced? Who is helping and how? And who is reluctant to help?

Lia Dostlieva is an artist, cultural anthropologist and essayist. She works most frequently with notions of trauma and identity.

Melaniya Podolyak is a communication specialist, activist and YouTuber, currently volunteer at Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation. She lives in Lviv, Ukraine.

Gleb Amankulov was born in 1988 in Minsk. He works mainly with sculpture and performance. He lives and works in Vienna.

Kateryna Iakovlenko is a Luhansk-born and Kyiv-based visual art researcher, art critic and journalist. She is currently a visiting fellow at the Institute for Human Science in Vienna.