Ukrainian President Zelensky has given a peek into his top-secret war rooms in a Kiev bunker where he has lived for the past year to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion.
In an interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Komarov, Zelensky showed Ukrainians the small room where he makes crucial decisions, holds crucial meetings and calls heads of state from around the world.
Recalling the first hours of the war, Zelensky described rushing to his war rooms after being informed of Putin’s invasion in the early hours of February 24, 2022.
He left immediately, without even waking his wife: “I love my family, but for me as president, being here was a priority.”
It comes as the world marked a year of war in Ukraine on Friday.
In an interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Komarov, Zelensky showed Ukrainians the small room where he makes crucial decisions, holds crucial meetings and calls heads of state.
President Zelensky addresses the Ukrainian nation from his war chambers to mark a year since Putin’s invasion
In a documentary project by Mr. Komarov entitled ‘Year’, footage from the presidential base includes a tour of Zelensky’s bedroom, hidden wardrobe and office space.
On his desk are models of airplanes and a photograph of him and his wife Olena, together with their two children, as well as a bust of war leader Winston Churchill.
His office is also full of models of tanks and a Ukrainian flag.
President Zelensky showed Mr. Komarov a large room, complete with tables and chairs, and shared his first memories and thoughts with the Ukrainian people.
He said: ‘It is very difficult to remember all the details. I got a call that it all started.
“We woke up with my wife, my family, my son, my daughter (asleep). I certainly thought about waking the kids up, packing everyone up.
“To tell the children what is happening, that the war has started. They are adults, they need to understand what is happening.
‘I left very quickly. I love my family, but for me as president my presence here was a priority.”
He added his family and joined him hours later after security forces decided it was too dangerous for them to remain separated from Zelensky.
Zelensky then showed the journalist his official office, where he has shot the vast majority of his videos sharing updates about the war and asking Western countries for help.
He spoke to 27 national leaders on the morning of Feb. 24, Zelesnky told Komarov, sitting in his office chair next to the telephone on which he is so often pictured.
On Zelensky’s desk are models of airplanes and a photograph of him and his wife, Olena, with their two children.
Zelensky’s wardrobe, tucked away in his war rooms where he leads the fight against Russia
Models of military equipment such as this battleship were carefully protected by a glass case on display in Zelensky’s office
Zelensky initially traveled alone to his war rooms, but was soon joined by his wife and family
Zelensky has not been seen in a suit since the beginning of the invasion, but he has kept the suit he last wore when the war broke out safely in the wardrobe.
Zelensky said he didn’t have time to think about the impact of the war on his marriage or family separation: “We didn’t have time for such romance, because we were quite busy.”
He continued, “All I thought about (after the invasion) was this office, the telephones, the team I have to assemble now.”
In addition to ample office space, Zelensky’s war rooms are complete with a wardrobe stocked almost exclusively with khaki and war clothes.
Zelensky has not been seen in a suit since the beginning of the invasion, but he has kept the suit he last wore when the war broke out safely in the wardrobe.
It is further filled with clothing in various shades of green and black, with military-style boots on the bottom.
Zelensky described the moment when he put on his war outfit, saying: ‘Internally, we were all already dressed at that point.
‘Everything had changed. Life had changed. And it was impossible to return to what used to be.’
He added that he has kept his last worn suit as a “symbol”: “We will win soon, so we will wear suits again.”
The images show Zelensky’s small bedroom, complete with a single bed and sink.
Zelensky showed Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Komarov around the complex, where he has his own small bedroom
His personal quarters have a sink and laundry room, though the president joked that the cramped space hurts his “back”
Zelensky also had several pairs of shoes in his wartime wardrobe
Zelensky has been living in the underground bunker for a year while leading the defense of Ukraine
He said, ‘I live here. This is my house. I’ve lived here for a year now.’
Zelensky continues to live in the heart of his country despite warnings from security forces to leave for his own safety.
“I was told to pack, because I was a target, that they should do everything they could to get me to a safe place.
“I wasn’t thinking about what could happen, about myself. This is not about courage.
“I thought about the consequences of my leaving and what would happen. The responsibility is mine.
If I leave, no one will ask afterwards who suggested it. There will be only the result: you have left your state.
“I think (that is) treason.”
Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Komarov was one of the first journalists to document the horrors of the liberated cities of Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel.
He has over three million subscribers to his YouTube channel and tries to keep reporting from all over the country.
Ukraine continues to steadfastly defend its territory with the help of military equipment from Western countries.
