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Ukrainian President Zelensky has given a glimpse of his top-secret war rooms inside a bunker in kyiv, where he has lived for the past year to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
In an interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Komarov, Zelensky showed Ukrainians the small space where he makes vital decisions, holds crucial meetings and calls heads of state from around the world on the phone.
Recalling the early hours of the war, Zelensky described rushing to his war rooms after being informed of Putin’s invasion in the early morning 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 space where he makes vital decisions, holds crucial meetings and calls heads of state on the phone.
President Zelensky addresses the Ukrainian nation from its war rooms to mark one year since Putin’s invasion
In a documentary project by Komarov titled ‘Year’, footage from the president’s base included a tour of Zelensky’s bedroom, hidden closet and office space.
On his desk are model aircraft and a photograph of himself and his wife Olena, along with their two children, as well as a bust of war leader Winston Churchill.
His office is also festooned with tank models and a Ukrainian flag.
Showing Mr. Komarov a large room complete with tables and chairs, President Zelensky shared his initial memories and thoughts with the Ukrainian people.
He said: ‘It’s very difficult to remember all the details. I received a call that everything had started.
‘We woke up with my wife, my family, my son, my daughter [asleep]. I definitely thought about waking up the kids, packing everyone up.
‘To tell the children what is happening, that the war had started. They are adults, they must understand what is happening.
‘I left very quickly. I love my family, but for me, as president, being here was a priority.’
He added that his family 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 made the vast majority of his videos sharing updates on the war and asking Western nations for help.
He spoke to 27 national leaders on the morning of February 24, Zelesnky told Komarov, sitting in his desk chair next to the phone he has so often been photographed using.
On Zelensky’s desk are model airplanes and a photograph of him and his wife Olena, along with their two children.
Zelensky’s wardrobe, hidden inside his war rooms where he leads the fight against Russia.
Models of military equipment like this battleship could be seen carefully protected by a display case in Zelensky’s office.
Zelensky initially traveled to his war rooms alone, but was soon joined by his wife and family.
One of the items on Zelensky’s desk appears to be a bust of Winston Churchill.
Zelensky hasn’t been seen wearing a suit since the start of the invasion, but he has the last one he wore when the war broke out hidden in the wardrobe.
Zelensky said he had no time to consider the impact of the war on his marriage or family separation: “We didn’t have time for such a romance, because we’ve been a bit busy.”
He continued: ‘The only thing I remember what I was thinking about [after the invasion] it was this office, the phones, the equipment that I have to assemble now.’
In addition to ample office space, Zelensky’s war rooms come complete with a wardrobe filled almost exclusively with khakis and wartime clothing.
Zelensky hasn’t been seen wearing a suit since the start of the invasion, but he has the last one he wore when the war broke out hidden in the wardrobe.
He is otherwise littered with clothing in various shades of green and black, with military-style boots at the bottom.
Describing the moment he changed into his war garb, Zelensky said: ‘Internally, at that point, all of us had already changed.
Everything had changed. Life had changed. And it was impossible to go back to what it was before.
He added that he has kept his last worn suit as a “symbol”: “We will win soon, so we will wear suits again.”
The pictures show Zelensky’s small bedroom, complete with a single bed and a sink.
Zelensky showed Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Komarov around the compound, where he has his own small bedroom.
His personal quarters have a sink and laundry area, though the president joked that the cramped space makes his back ache.
Within his wartime wardrobe, Zelensky also had several pairs of shoes.
Zelensky has lived in the underground bunker for a year while leading Ukraine’s defense.
He said: ‘I live here. This is my home. I have been living here for a year.
Zelensky continues to reside in the heart of his country despite being warned by security forces to leave for his own safety.
“They told me to pack, because I was a target, that they had to do everything possible to get me to a safe place.
‘I didn’t think about what could happen, about myself. This is not about bravery.
‘I thought about the consequences of my departure and what would happen. The responsibility is mine.
If I leave, no one will ask later who suggested it. Only the result will remain: you have abandoned your state.
‘Believe [that is] treason.’
Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Komarov was one of the first journalists to document the horrors in the liberated cities of Bucha, Irpin and Hostomel.
She has more than three million subscribers to her YouTube channel as she looks to continue reporting from across the country.
Ukraine continues to launch a strong defense of its territory with the help of military equipment from Western nations.