A new art installation featuring a teenager’s bedroom has been unveiled at the European Commission in Brussels, drawing attention to the more than 20,500 Ukrainian children unlawfully taken to Russia since the start of the conflict. The room, filled with football shirts, crumpled clothes and open exercise books, is designed to evoke the empty spaces left behind.
The installation, created by the NGO Bird of Light Ukraine, belongs to a fictional 13-year-old named Artem, whose story is based on real testimonies. His room, with its Soviet furnishings and early 2000s wallpaper, is instantly familiar to Ukrainians. Artem lived with his single mother in occupied territory until Russian soldiers forced her to send him to a so-called health camp in Crimea.
Ukraine has identified over 20,570 children deported or forcibly transferred to Russia, with only 2,133 returned. Many are stripped of their identities, indoctrinated in military camps, or placed into forced adoption. The UK and EU have announced fresh sanctions against individuals and entities involved, including the warrior centre and Yulia Velichko, a minister in the occupied Luhansk region.
Stephen Doughty, UK Europe minister, called the situation “one of the most heinous aspects of Russia’s war” and announced an additional £1.2 million to help trace stolen children. The International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, co-chaired by Ukraine and Canada, held discussions on Monday, with hopes that more countries will join to mediate returns.
