In the city of Bakersfield, California, the “Bring Kids Back” campaign was held, designed to draw attention to the forced removal of Ukrainian children by Russia. The installation, consisting of 20,000 teddy bears, was installed on Saturday. Each teddy bear symbolizes one Ukrainian child, who, according to the organizers, was kidnapped by Russia since the start of the full-scale war.
This was reported by Bakersfield.
Organizers emphasize that the campaign aims to talk about an issue that, in their opinion, is not talked about enough in the information space.
Shield of Freedom President and board member of the American Coalition for Ukraine Mira Rubin noted that the number of kidnapped children could be much higher.
“At least 20,000 Ukrainian children, but some estimates put it at hundreds of thousands,” she said.
Rubin said her organization provides assistance to people in Ukraine, but the issue of separation of children from their families remains largely unknown to the general public.
“What Russia is doing to Ukrainian children is indescribable, and it cannot continue… This is a terrible war crime, and many people don’t know about it. We hope that through this installation, people will learn about what is happening and do something to stop it,” she said.
Globe 4 Ukraine co-founder Iryna Shifman said the installation was first presented in the US capital in April, after which it arrived in California’s Central Valley.
“Today, the indoctrination, abduction and militarization of Ukrainian children is an extremely important issue. This is not only a humanitarian tragedy, but also a threat to democracy on a global level,” she noted.
Mira Rubin emphasized that the goal of the action goes far beyond the local community.
“We wanted to attract the attention of the whole world, not just the residents of Bakersfield or the local communities,” she said.
She also expressed hope that the Ukrainian children will be able to return to their families.
“We have to return these children home, because their families are suffering a lot right now,” Rubin emphasized.
After the event in Bakersfield, the installation is planned to be transported to Arizona or Washington.
Read also: 20,000 Teddy Bears Installed Near California Capitol in Support of Kidnapped Ukrainian Children
Photos provided by Mira Rubin, Shield Of Freedom
Author: Danylo Pievchev