In the last days I was in Eastern Ukraine and the Donbass. On the one hand you can feel an exciting dynamic, especially in Kharkiv: social developments are accompanied by civic engagement. Even in Sloviansk in the Donetsk Oblast, spaces are being created that take up and promote these developments.
On the other hand, many activists for human rights and humanitarian aid are working at their limits and are on the verge of burnout, mainly due to a lack of professional capacities, since public attention for the region also leaves donor funding dwindle – a great risk as activists who put their heart into their work cannot be replaced.

Almost every place in Ukraine is influenced by German crimes and the Shoah. In Kharkiv, a memorial for the approximately 16,000 murdered Jews in Drobyzkyi Yar was established in 2002 already. The current conflict in the Donbass leaves survivors of the Shoah with special challenges: often they do not receive support from any side, especially if they live    in the „grey zone“ around the Line of Contact.