An installation on the National Mall near Capitol Hill featured 20,000 stuffed teddy bears attached to a fence to represent Ukrainian children deported or forcibly transferred to Russia since the 2022 invasion, according to major media reports. The installation was organized by Razom for Ukraine and the American Coalition for Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities and estimates verified by the United Nations put the number of affected minors at more than 19,000, while Kyiv says Russia has abducted 20,000 children. Moscow denies the claims of child abductions. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for the war crime of unlawful deportation of children, according to research from five sources.
Lawmakers, advocates and Ukraine’s ambassador Oksana Markarova attended the event, major media reported. Ukrainian officials report that more than 2,100 children have been returned since 2023 through a national initiative led by ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, according to major media. Campaigners say many other children remain in Russia or occupied territories, facing legal and logistical barriers to return. US representatives Paul Tonko and Jamie Raskin called for stronger sanctions on those involved, according to major media. Tonko said at a press conference that more must be done to hold Russia accountable for these atrocities, and Raskin added that the teddy bears represent the innocent children who have been torn from their families. Diplomats say the display serves as a reminder that the issue persists despite mediation efforts, including exchanges facilitated by Qatar, and ongoing scrutiny from the International Criminal Court.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, according to research from two sources. At its furthest advance in March 2022, Russia occupied roughly 27% of Ukrainian territory, according to research from two sources. By late November 2022, Ukraine had reclaimed approximately 74,000 sq km, reducing Russian control to about 19%, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Pokrovsk was captured by Russia in early December 2025, according to research from two sources. Russia captured more than 5,600 sq km of Ukrainian territory in 2025, according to an AFP analysis based on ISW data. Russia's gains in 2025 exceed those made in 2023 and 2024 combined, according to research from five sources. Russia's largest monthly advance in 2025 was in November, capturing around 701 sq km, according to research from five sources.
Russian forces seized 1,929.69 sq km between October 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026, advancing at an average of 10.66 sq km per day, according to ISW. Ukrainian forces liberated over 400 sq km in the Oleksandrivka and Hulyaipole directions from late January 2026 to mid-March 2026, according to research from five sources. Ukrainian forces retook at least 183 sq km in and around Kupyansk in December 2025, according to research from five sources.
Russian attacks killed two people in Zaporizhzhia and three in northern and eastern Ukraine on March 21, 2025, according to officials. A Ukrainian drone struck an apartment building in Rostov-on-Don, injuring two people, according to acting regional governor Yury Slyusar. Ukraine accused Russia of illegally pressuring Ukrainians in occupied territory to change their legal status or leave, according to Ukraine. Russia accused Ukraine of blowing up a gas metering station near Sudzha in Kursk region, according to Russia's Ministry of Defence. Ukraine denied the accusation and blamed Russia for shelling the gas metering station, according to Ukraine's military General Staff.
Talks between Ukrainian and US representatives in Saudi Arabia on March 24, 2025, focused on a limited ceasefire, according to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi. The exact number of children still in Russia or occupied territories remains unknown, as do the specific legal and logistical barriers to their return. The timeline and mechanism of Qatar-mediated exchanges are also unclear, and the current status of the ICC investigation into the child deportations has not been disclosed.