Zelenskyy shows his Kyiv bunker for first time, reflects on four years of resistance Photo/Video

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave the public a first-time glimpse of the bunker beneath the Presidential Office on Bankova Street in Kyiv, as well as his office, during a video address marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In the footage, Zelenskyy walked through corridors adorned with patriotic posters, highlighting the space where he spent the first months of the war, Caliber.Az reports.

"This office - this small room in the bunker on Bankova Street - this is where I held my first conversations with world leaders at the start of the war. Here I spoke with President [Joe] Biden, and it was right here that I heard: 'Volodymyr, there is a threat. You need to leave Ukraine urgently. We are ready to help with that.‘ And here I replied that I need ammunition, not a ride,” the Ukrainian president said.

Today marks exactly four years since Putin started his three-day push to take Kyiv. And that says a great deal about our resistance, about how Ukraine has fought all this time. Behind those words stand millions of our people, immense courage, incredibly hard work, endurance, and… pic.twitter.com/9qiqACurhx

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 24, 2026

Reflecting on Ukraine’s resistance, Zelenskyy noted that exactly four years had passed since Putin had launched his three-day attempt to take Kyiv, emphasising that this milestone spoke volumes about Ukraine’s determination and how the country had fought throughout the conflict.

He said that behind these words stood millions of Ukrainians, immense courage, tireless effort, endurance, and the long path Ukraine had been pursuing since February 24.

"Looking back at the beginning of the invasion and reflecting on today, we have every right to say: we have defended our independence, we have not lost our statehood; Putin has not achieved his goals. He has not broken Ukrainians; he has not won this war. We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to secure peace and justice. Glory to Ukraine!” he wrote on X. 

The Presidential Office, located at 11 Bankova Street, was originally constructed between 1936 and 1939 on the foundations of an earlier building from the 1870s. It has housed the headquarters of the Kyiv Special Military District and later the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine. Designed in a solemn Stalinist Empire style, the building incorporates elements of classical architecture and Ukrainian Baroque.

By Sabina Mammadli