A sea of 20,000 teddy bears confronted visitors with a little-known wartime atrocity, urging action to reunite families and demand accountability.
The Bring Kids Back installation, made up of 20,000 teddy bears, dedicated to Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, has arrived in Bakersfield, California.
The event took place on Saturday.
Each teddy bear represents a child from Ukraine who was abducted by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion.
The Purpose of the Installation and the Organizers’ Stance
According to Mira Rubin, co-founder of Shield of Freedom, the installation aims to draw attention to an issue that many people are not aware of.
At least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted by Russia – some estimates put the number in the hundreds of thousands
– Mira Rubin
She added that Shield of Freedom provides aid to people in Ukraine and stressed that the problem of children being separated from their families remains almost unknown to the general public.
This is a horrific war crime, and many people are not aware of it. Therefore we hope that, thanks to this installation, we will convey to people that this is happening and they will do something about it
– Mira Rubin
Co-founder of Globe 4 Ukraine, Iryna Shifman, noted that the installation first appeared in April in the capital of the United States, after which it was moved to the Central Valley.
Today, ideological indoctrination, abduction, and militarization of Ukrainian children is a very important issue, not only a humanitarian tragedy but also a global threat to democracy
– Iryna Shifman
She emphasized that the organizers aimed to draw the attention of the global community to this issue and expressed hope that families would soon be able to reconnect with the children.
We must bring these children back, and these families are suffering greatly right now
– Iryna Shifman
They expect the installation to continue on its way: it might travel to Arizona or to Washington, D.C.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, as of July 9, 2026, the registry records 20,610 Ukrainian children who may have been forcibly deported or moved by the Russian Federation. As of that date, 2,368 children had been returned from deportation and temporarily occupied territories.