Teddy bears normally bring smiles to faces old and young, but on the National Mall on Thursday, there was a display of 20,000 bears that had a heartbreaking message.
On several chain link fences stretching 230 feet, the tiny, white and brown teddy bears were used as a canvas with red teddy bears spelling out, 鈥淧utin abducted 20,000 Ukrainian children. Bring kids back.鈥�
Razom for Ukraine, a Ukrainian advocacy nonprofit, was behind the display.
Daryna Lesniak from the group said they 鈥渄idn鈥檛 want a metaphor.鈥�
鈥淲e wanted the sign to scream,鈥� Lesniak said. 鈥淭hese kids are taken to camps. 鈥� They are indoctrinated. They are forced to forget their Ukrainian heritage.鈥�
Since the full-scale invasion in 2022, Lesniak said Russia has taken children as young as toddlers; some have been adopted into Russian families, while others are sent to militarization camps when they turn 16 and 17 years old.
鈥淭hey are even drafted into the Russian army and sent back to fight against their own people,鈥� Lesniak said.
There was a news conference by the wall of teddy bears. Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Texas Rep. and House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul were all in attendance and pledged their support to the effort of returning the kids to their parents.
The event brought not only locals, but visitors from hundreds of miles away to the National Mall.
鈥淚 feel, as a woman 鈥� children kidnapped, killed, it hurts,” Marusia Durbak said.
Durbak traveled from New Jersey along with her husband, Ivan, to see the teddy bears with their daughter, Katrina, who lives in the D.C. area.
Ivan, who carried giant American and Ukrainian flags, said he still has 鈥�42 cousins, nephews and nieces鈥� living in Ukraine.
鈥淲hen I was infantry in Vietnam, over 50 years ago, we were taught by the U.S. Army, properly avoid civilian casualties,鈥� Ivan said. 鈥淩ussia, the opposite, deliberately targets Ukrainian civilians, murders women and children on purpose, and that’s what bothers me the most.鈥�
鈥淭he issue of abducted children has to be part of any peace negotiation, and that’s why we’re here,鈥� Katrina said.
For nearly a week, 120 volunteers worked in a local church basement to put the display together.
鈥淪ince my dad is serving on the front line, for me, it is important to do everything I can as a civilian,鈥� volunteer Mariia Hlytem said. 鈥淭o make sure that people understand the scale of the tragedy of this war crime, which Russia keeps doing.鈥�
Hlytem, who lives and works in D.C., said these 20,000 kids are 鈥渘ot bargaining chips in negotiations.鈥�
鈥淲e tend to forget about children, and children cannot speak for themselves. They cannot protect themselves,鈥� Hlytem said. 鈥淭hat’s why we have to make sure we talk about it.鈥�
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