Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on 24/2 released a video message filmed in the underground bunker beneath his office in Kyiv, offering the most comprehensive look at the facility since the conflict began.
"This room, this small room in the shelter on Bankova street, is where I held initial discussions with world leaders when the war started," Zelensky said.
Sitting on a black leather chair in the narrow, white-walled room, Zelensky recounted speaking with US President Joe Biden when Russia sent troops across the border on 24/2/2022. It was also here that he received a stark warning from Western intelligence: "'Volodymyr, the situation is very dangerous. You need to leave Ukraine immediately. We are ready to assist you.'"
"And here, I replied that I need ammunition, not a ride," Zelensky recalled.
The Presidential Office of Ukraine is located on Bankova street, and this shelter appears to be a massive Soviet-era bomb shelter, designed as a command post for a provisional government in the event of a large-scale attack on the Ukrainian capital.
Zelensky’s video shows long, narrow corridors within the shelter, leading to small rooms designated for various government bodies, including the presidential office, cabinet, and parliament. Inside each room, there are about a dozen chairs, television screens, and Ukrainian flags.
Black cables run along the bunker walls, while large gas pipes and electrical boxes are mounted on the ceiling. Blue and yellow signs, reflecting the colors of the Ukrainian flag, guide people through the maze of tunnels to different rooms.
Bright posters celebrating the war effort and Ukrainian soldiers are scattered on the walls, providing the only splash of color aside from the green exit signs on the bunker ceiling.
Zelensky, approximately 170 cm tall, had to duck under exposed wires and control boxes in one area. Before a thick metal door leading to the presidential administration office hangs a large blue and yellow map of Ukraine, topped with a white dove and the inscription: "God bless Ukraine."
"Here, our team, the government, coordinates daily with the military, making calls, finding solutions, everything necessary for Ukraine to endure," Zelensky stated. "Weapons must be delivered. Medicine and food have been brought to cities besieged by the enemy."
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A woman walks past a spontaneous memorial for Ukrainian soldiers and foreign volunteers, in Independence Square in Kyiv on 23/2. Photo: AFP |
The 19-minute video address, released by Zelensky early on 24/2, aimed to boost public morale and evoked Ukraine's spirit of resistance from the war's initial days.
After four years of suffering heavy losses in lives and resources, the Ukrainian government is now under pressure from US President Donald Trump to make concessions for peace. However, a ceasefire agreement remains distant, as Kyiv adamantly refuses to cede territory.
Hong Hanh (According to AFP)
