stand by and do nothing

Translations
стоять и ничего не делать
They just stood by and did nothing while the house burned.
Они просто стояли и ничего не делали, пока дом горел.
Definitions
To remain present or nearby without taking any action, especially in a situation where intervention might be expected or needed.
Words
stand

verb
бездействовать
by

adverb
рядом
and

conjunction
и
do

verb
делать
nothing

pronoun
ничего