In Sacramento, California, a large-scale art installation “Bring Kids Back” took place on the west steps of the Capitol, designed to draw attention to the forced removal of Ukrainian children by Russia. The space in front of the building was filled with 20,000 teddy bears, each of which symbolized one Ukrainian child deported, forcibly displaced or separated from his family as a result of Russian aggression.
This was reported by the Fox40, The Sacramento Bee, Sunflower Society co-founder Olga Noshyn and Consulate General of Ukraine in San Francisco.
The installation was created by the organization Razom for Ukraine in partnership with the American Coalition for Ukraine. It has already been presented on the National Mall in Washington and in Los Angeles, and now it has been seen by residents of the capital of California. The central composition was made up of teddy bears that formed the inscription: “Putin kidnapped 20,000 Ukrainian children. Bring Kids Back.”
According to the organizers, the figure of 20,000 corresponds to the number of children officially identified by the Ukrainian authorities. At the same time, independent researchers suggest that the real number could be from 200 to 300 thousand children.
During the action, the national anthems of Ukraine and the United States were played, Ukrainian folk music performed by bandura players Olga Gerasimenko and Sofia Ishchuk, prayers and speeches by public figures were heard. Participants held posters with the inscriptions “Every child must be at home” and “Child kidnapping is a crime,” and also chanted: “Bring them home.”
Nova Ukraine’s Director of Advocacy and Engagement, Oleksandr Krapivkin, stressed that child abduction is a crime that cannot be left without an international response.
“Child abduction is an atrocity, and it should not happen in our time. If we don’t want this to ever happen again – not only in Ukraine, but in relation to any nation – then we need to act now,” Oleksandr Krapivkin said.
According to the co-organizer of the action and co-founder of the Sunflower Society, Olga Noshin, it is precisely such a large-scale visualization that helps people realize the tragedy.
“And finally we have it truly visualized, and we can show it. When you look at all these bears – 20 thousand teddy bears – it really changes your perception,” Olga Noshin said in an interview with Fox40.
She emphasized that children are the future of Ukraine, and Russia’s policy is aimed at destroying Ukrainian identity through the forced deportation, assimilation, and adoption of Ukrainian children by Russian families.
The co-author of the installation, Kateryna Pavlevich, told Fox40 that many children are sent to military camps, subjected to forced Russification, and legal adoption by Russian families. According to her, only a small part of the children have been able to return home.
The Consul General of Ukraine in San Francisco, Dmytro Kushneruk, emphasized that the issue of the return of Ukrainian children is a challenge for the entire international community and that every child has the right to know his or her family.
“The full-scale Russian invasion had catastrophic consequences for Ukrainian children. The UN Secretary-General’s report on children in armed conflict documents killings and injuries, attacks on schools and hospitals, sexual violence, unlawful deportations and many other serious violations committed against children. Among these crimes, one stands out for its systematic and deliberate nature. The Kremlin continues its criminal practice of forcibly transferring and illegally deporting Ukrainian children, doing everything possible to prevent their return and reunification with their families. President Volodymyr Zelensky called this one of Russia’s most cynical war crimes,” the consul stressed.
Read also: Los Angeles hosts “Bring Kids Back” conference in support of abducted Ukrainian children
Volunteers from the Ukrainian community also shared their personal stories. Sunflower Society representative Anna Shyshlevska, 19, who moved to the United States after the start of the full-scale war, admitted that she cannot come to terms with the thought of children being deprived of their home and Ukrainian identity.
“I don’t want any child – my sister’s age or my age – to be away from home. I am away from home myself right now, and sometimes it feels terrible. To realize that some children are there, on the side of the aggressor, and their identity is being erased… it just breaks my heart,” she said.
Alison Magallon, the mother of American volunteer Jericho, who died fighting for Ukraine as part of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces, gave an emotional speech. She said that her son went to Ukraine because he could not stay away from injustice.
During the event, American politicians called for support for Ukraine. US House of Representatives member Kevin Kaley stressed the need to deter further Russian aggression and do everything possible to return the abducted children. Former Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said that to combat war crimes, you don’t need a government position – you need a civic stance.
The event was also attended by the president of the Sacramento chapter of the United Nations Association of the United States of America Eric Goodes, former member of the California State Assembly from the 8th district Ken Cooley, co-founder of Yolo for Ukraine Nancy Fisher, president of Shield of Freedom and board member of the American Coalition for Ukraine Mira Rubin, as well as the hosts of the radio show “Good Evening, We Are from Ukraine” Svitlana Iotko, Alina Pavlushko, and Viktoriya Smyk.
Organizers also urged Americans to contact their congressmen and senators with a request to support the Ukraine Support Act (HR 2913), which provides additional military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
Organizers of the event in Sacramento, Sunflower Society and Nova Ukraine, with the support of Globe4Ukraine, emphasize that the return of every child home remains one of the most important humanitarian tasks of the international community.
The event concluded with an interfaith prayer for forcibly displaced Ukrainian children, led by Vasyl Kumansky of the Church of the Resurrection.
Photo: Vadym Kvasnevskiy
Author: Inna Mikhno