On the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has revealed his top-secret war rooms in a bunker in Kiev, where he has been living for a year.
In an interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Komarov, Zelensky showed Ukrainians the small room where he makes important decisions, holds important meetings and calls world leaders.
Recalling the first hours of the war, Zelenskyi 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 waking his wife: “I love my family, but for me as President, being here was a priority.”
It comes as the world on Friday marked a year of war in Ukraine.
In an interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Komarov, Zelenskyy showed Ukrainians the small room where he makes important decisions, holds important meetings and calls heads of state
President Zelenskyy addresses the Ukrainian nation from his war rooms to celebrate one year after Putin’s invasion
In a documentary project by Mr. Komarov entitled Year, footage from the President’s base included a tour of Zelensky’s bedroom, hidden dressing room and office space.
On his desk are models of airplanes and a photograph of himself and his wife Olena, along with their two children, and a bust of wartime leader Winston Churchill.
His office is also decorated with model tanks and a Ukrainian flag.
President Zelensky showed Mr. Komarov a large room with tables and chairs and shared his first memories and thoughts with the Ukrainian people.
He said: “It’s very difficult to remember all the details. I got a call that everything had started.
“We woke up with my wife, my family, my son, my daughter [asleep]. I definitely thought about waking the kids up and 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 being here as President was a priority for me.”
He added his family and joined hours later after security forces decided it was too dangerous for them to remain separated from Zelenskyy.
Zelensky then showed the journalist his official office, where he has made the vast majority of his videos, in which he shares updates about the war and pleads with Western nations for help.
He spoke to 27 national leaders on the morning of February 24, Zelesnky told Mr Komarov, who was sitting in his desk chair by the phone he has so often been pictured with.
On Zelensky’s desk are models of airplanes and a photo of him and his wife Olena and their two children
Zelensky’s wardrobe, hidden in his war rooms, where he leads the fight against Russia
Models of military equipment like this battleship were on display in Zelenskyy’s office, carefully protected by a display case
Zelensky initially traveled to his war rooms alone, but was soon joined by his wife and family
One of the items on Zelenskyi’s desk appears to be a bust of Winston Churchill
Zelenskyy has not been seen in a suit since the beginning of the invasion, but the suit he was last wearing when war broke out is safely stowed away in the closet
Zelensky said he hadn’t had time to think about the impact of the war on his marriage or the separation from the family: “We didn’t have a tome for a romance like that because we were quite busy.”
He continued, “The only thing I remember was thinking about it [after the invasion] was this office, the phones, the team I need to get together now.’
Zelensky’s war rooms not only have ample office space, but also a cloakroom filled almost entirely with khaki and war clothes.
Zelenskyy has not been seen in a suit since the beginning of the invasion, but the suit he was last wearing when war broke out is safely stowed away in the closet.
It is otherwise filled with clothing of various shades of green and black, with military-style boots at the bottom.
Zelenskyy described the moment when he put on his war clothes: “Inside we had all already changed at that moment.
“Everything had changed. Life had changed. And it was impossible to go back to what was before.’
He added he kept his last suit worn as a “symbol”: “We’re going to win soon, so we’re going to be wearing suits again.”
The footage shows Zelensky’s small bedroom with a single bed and a sink.
Zelenskyi showed Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Komarov around the complex, where he has his own small bedroom
His personal quarters have a sink and washing area, though the president quipped that the cramped space “aches his back.”
Zelensky also had several pairs of shoes in his wartime wardrobe
Zelenskyy has been living in the underground bunker for a year while leading Ukraine’s defense
He said: “I live here. This is my home. I have lived here for a year.”
Zelensky continues to live in the heart of his country despite being warned by security forces to go for his own safety.
“I was told to pack because I was a target that they must do whatever they can to get me somewhere safe.
“I haven’t thought about what could happen, about myself. This isn’t about bravery.
“I’ve been thinking about the consequences of my departure and what would happen. The responsibility is mine.
If I leave, no one will ask who suggested it afterwards. There will only be the result: you gave up your condition.
‘I find [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 more than three million subscribers to his YouTube channel and wants to continue reporting from across the country.
Ukraine continues to launch a determined defense of its territory with the support of military hardware from western nations.