Zelenskyy Gives First Look Inside Kyiv Bunker Used During Opening Months of Russia’s Invasion

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has provided a first look into the bunker located beneath the Office of the President on Bankova Street in Kyiv. 

During a video released on the fourth anniversary of the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the president showed the space where he spent the opening months of the war on February 24.

The footage includes a small room that served as a critical communication hub. Zelenskyy explained the significance of the space, stating:

“This cabinet, this small room in the bunker on Bankova–here were the first conversations with world leaders at the beginning of the war. Here I talked with President Biden and exactly here I heard: ‘Volodymyr, there is a threat, you need to urgently leave Ukraine. We are ready to help in this.’ And I replied that I need weapons, not a taxi.”

The video also shows the president walking through the facility's corridors, which are currently decorated with patriotic posters. 

The building at 11 Bankova Street has a long history, having been constructed between 1936 and 1939 on the foundations of an 1870s structure.

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War in Ukraine

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The premises originally served as the headquarters of the Kyiv Special Military District and later housed the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine. The architecture of the building combines elements of the classical style and Ukrainian Baroque.

Earlier, during a deeply reflective address marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recounted the early hours of the conflict characterized by uncertainty and fear.

 He revisited one of the defining moments of the war’s opening days, describing conversations held from a bunker on Bankova Street where international partners urged him to evacuate. 

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