An installation of 20,000 teddy bears has been placed on the National Mall in Washington DC to highlight the plight of Ukrainian children allegedly taken by Russia.
The display, organized by Razom for Ukraine and the American Coalition for Ukraine, represents the estimated 20,000 children Ukraine says have been illegally transferred to Russia and Belarus since the war began five years ago. Organizers are urging Congress to address what the United Nations has described as a crime against humanity.
Russia has denied forcibly deporting children, with President Vladimir Putin claiming they were "rescued" from a war zone.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that more than 2,100 children have been reunited with their families through the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, which has been tracing and returning children from Russian-occupied territories and Russia since 2023.