Empty Beds
The Tale of 20,000+ Abducted Ukrainian Children
I still remember my name…
No matter what they call me or where they take me
I am waiting to see you again, mom
Meet Artem*
At age 7, he became the "man of the house." While other kids played, he fixed broken appliances for his widowed mother.
At age 12, he dreamed of becoming an architect. He spent his evenings in Minecraft, designing a new Ukraine with glass roofs and modern architecture—buildings where people could see the future.
In October 2022, at age 13, he was taken under duress to a Russian “health camp” in Crimea.
He never returned.
*Artem is a composite character based on verified testimonies.
Real identities have been withheld to protect the safety of children currently held by Russia.
The Abduction Network
20,000+
Children Abducted
Official accounts confirm over 20,000 children have been abducted. The equivalent of 400 school buses. A convoy of buses 5km long. The true number is likely much higher.
These are not instances of collateral damage; they are targets of a systematic state program designed to permanently remove them from their families and erase their Ukrainian identity.
Detention Facilities
210+
Once abducted, children enter a vast state-run processing & holding network spanning over 210 facilities stretching from the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean.
Children undergo systematic re-education designed to erase their Ukrainian identity. They are subjected to revisionist history lessons and "patriotic" programming intended to integrate them into Russian society, often as a precursor to forced adoption.
39+
Child Soldier Training Camps
At 20% of these facilities, re-education escalates into forced militarization.
Children as young as eight are subjected to "psychological and physical conditioning" that includes combat drills, firearms training, and paratrooper simulations.
In some cases, children are forced to assemble military equipment, including drones and rapid loaders for assault rifles.
“One is a tragedy.
A million is a statistic”
We designed this installation to bring the tragic reality of abducted Ukrainian children to those furthest from the issue. Few take the journey to understand Ukraine. Even fewer have the opportunity to dive into the lives of ordinary children and mothers.
By bringing Artem’s bedroom into the halls of power in Europe, we grant lawmakers and the public the opportunity to understand the gravity of what is happening on their doorsteps.
For every missing child, there is an empty bed.
A shrine kept by a mother, a father, waiting for their child to return.
Current Schedule:
March 23 - April 20, 2026 Europa Experience, Luxembourg
Project Team
Created by: Zhanna Galeyeva & Isaac Yeung
Original Concept: Phil Buehler
Set Design: Andrii Burianenko
Engineering: MPH Group - Yurii Slepak,
Dmitrii Zadorozhnyi, Oleksii Homeliia
In Partnership With
Keep the World Watching
Your donation directly funds the tour of Empty Beds, ensuring this installation reaches the decision-makers who can make a difference. Help us keep this exhibition on the road to demand justice for Ukraine’s abducted children.
Bird of Light Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (EIN: 93-4194744). Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.