Inside Zelensky’s Secret Wartime Bunker

To mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took the nation inside the secret bunker where he spent the war’s first days marshaling Ukraine’s resistance.

The underground complex beneath Kyiv’s Bankova Street is a vast Soviet-era shelter designed to support a rump government after a massive attack.

In a cramped, white-walled room, Zelensky held urgent calls with world leaders, including President Biden, who offered to help him evacuate. “I need ammunition, not a ride,” Zelensky replied.

The bunker now houses branches of government—the presidency, cabinet, and parliament—in small rooms with chairs, TV screens, and Ukrainian flags.

Long corridors with low ceilings are lined with black cables, gas pipes, and blue-and-yellow directional signs.

A large map of Ukraine hangs by a thick metal door with the prayer “God save Ukraine.”

The video, shot to rally a war-weary nation, offers the most comprehensive look yet at the facility that has become a cult symbol of Ukrainian defiance.