Vitsche Berlin criticizes ‘Flight’ exhibit for blurring line between victims and aggressors in Russo-Ukrainian war

BERLIN — The Ukrainian organization Vitsche Berlin has strongly criticized the “Flight” exhibition at the Museum of European Cultures in Berlin for what it calls “a dangerous narrative of false symmetry.”

The exhibition, created by photographer Frank Gaudlitz, explores experiences of flight and displacement in Moldova, Armenia, and Georgia. It places Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russian aggression side-by-side with Russian emigrants who claim to oppose the Kremlin. 

Vitsche Berlin says it fails to reflect the power imbalance and historical reality of the Russo-Ukrainian war. 

“This may sound empathetic, but it is not neutral,” the organization said in a statement. “Projects like this diminish Ukrainian suffering and create a dangerous symmetry. Empathy without accountability is not true empathy — it is a form of convenience.”

The group stressed that cultural institutions have a responsibility to avoid narratives that either erase or blur the distinction between victim and aggressor. They urged curators to prioritize Ukrainian voices, make Russia’s responsibility explicit, and highlight the profound asymmetry  — military, political, and moral — that defines the war in a visible manner.

“If art treats the victims and citizens of the aggressor state equally, it depoliticizes violence and promotes an aesthetic of injustice,” Vitsche Berlin said.

Saying the unprovoked war doesn’t place Ukrainians on par with Russians as a “shared tragedy,” the group’s criticism furthermore highlights the broader debates in Europe’s cultural fields on how to depict war, displacement, and historical accountability without erasing the context of aggression.