20,000 teddy bear display on National Mall: ‘Bring Ukrainian children’ home

Pro-Ukrainian groups and government officials are calling on Congress and the Trump administration to hold Russia accountable and prioritize the return of Ukrainian children abducted over the past four years. 

Nonprofit organizations Razom for Ukraine and American Coalition for Ukraine partnered to arrange a display Thursday on the National Mall of 20,000 teddy bears, each representing a Ukrainian child who has gone missing since the start of the war.

The display “uses a universal symbol of childhood — the teddy bear — to illustrate the scale of the abductions in a powerful, visual way,” Razom for Ukraine said in a press release. “It transforms that abstract number into something Americans can see, feel, and confront.

UKRAINE REOPENS RUSSIAN OIL PIPELINE AS HUNGARY WITHDRAWS VETO ON $105 BILLION LOAN FOR KYIV

Volunteers attached the teddy bears to an installation that was set up across the Mall that spelled out the message, “PUTIN ABDUCTED 20,000 UKRAINIAN CHILDREN. BRING KIDS BACK.”

Two attendees, Tatiana and Alexandra, said they were there to advocate and help volunteer.

“We don’t want children to be the bargain chips because they [Russia] want children to be exchanged for the land,” Alexandra told the Washington Examiner. “I am here to raise my voice.”

“Keep supporting Ukraine or start if they’ve stopped,” Tatiana told the Washington Examiner when asked what her message was to the Trump administration and to Congress. “Ukraine is not a charity. Ukraine is a full-fledged partner; we have something to offer to the United States.”

Speakers at the rally included Razom for Ukraine policy adviser Katya Pavlevych, American Coalition for Ukraine Chairwoman Mariana Tretiak, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Olga Stefanishyna, Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

The Ukrainian ambassador and lawmakers also attached teddy bears to the installation to show their support.

The four U.S. lawmakers have all been vocal in condemning the Russia-Ukraine war and the kidnapping of Ukrainian children, and they have introduced resolutions and legislation calling for and assisting with the return of the children.

“Congress stands unified to return these children home,” McCaul told the Washington Examiner when asked what his message was to Ukrainian families and to the children. “It’s no fault of their own. They’re the whole innocence of this conflict.”

The Texas Republican congressman highlighted his work with the State Department and first lady Melania Trump, as well as Stefanishyna’s, on the issue, and discussed his upcoming trip to Ukraine. 

“I’ll be going over to Ukraine in July to meet their parliament,” he said. “President Zelensky will receive an award, and I will look at their counter-drone strategies and work to return these children.” 

Blumenthal told the Washington Examiner that Congress will continue to fight for Ukrainian families and for the children.

“We’re going to stand with you, and we will be unstinting and ceaseless in fighting for the children who’ve been kidnapped and treated so brutally,” he said. “We will designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism if these children are not returned because it is a moral issue, not just a political or military issue.”

FREEDOM 250 ANNOUNCES GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR COMING TO NATIONAL MALL

Pavlevych told the Washington Examiner the idea for the event had been brought up for a couple of years, but it wasn’t executed by Razom for Ukraine until late 2025, and then it came to life with the coalition early this year. 

She said the purpose of the event was to find a “tangible and emotional way” to show how many children have been taken by the Russian government.

“Our hope is to bring Ukraine and the largest case of missing children since World War II, abducted Ukrainian children, back into the news cycle,” she said. “It’s easy to get numb to statistics, how many children [have] been killed or taken away. And we keep repeating the numbers, forgetting what they actually mean.” 

Pavlevych’s message to Ukrainian families was to hold onto hope and faith as people around the world work to bring the children home.

“Do not lose hope and faith in their return,” she said. “[I] want to assure [that] children who are with parents or without parents, who are still in Russian captivity, whatever happens in the world, we will not stop looking for them. Regardless of political decisions, [and the] news cycle, I know there are enough people in the world, in the Ukrainian community, and American community, and beyond, who will not stop caring about this [issue], and we will not stop until every child is returned.”

Share this article:

Facebook

Twitter