How do Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his cabinet ministers and advisers live during the war?
A full year after its inception, Caroline Wheeler, political editor of The Times, went to the heart of the Kiev government and wrote a lengthy
report
.
The author says that the most surprising thing when entering Penkova - the seat of the Ukrainian government - is the extent of darkness that surrounds the interior, as every curtain is closed and all lights are turned off to reduce the risk of targeting the building by air attacks or snipers.
On the day of its arrival, it indicates that Kiev was subjected to the heaviest bombing since the early days of the war, as it appears that the attack was a response from the Kremlin to a tour that Zelensky made about 10 days ago to Britain and Europe, which included new pledges of weapons and equipment to Ukraine and more sanctions on Russia.
The political editor says that she assumed that the darkness was a temporary measure due to the recent attack, but she was told that it was a permanent feature, adding that she did not see her feet and was unable to find her way along the wide corridors and when climbing the large staircase, except thanks to a lamp on the phone of one of the guards. .
Passwords that are difficult for Russians to pronounce
And the author goes on: Penkova, a concrete block of offices, is surrounded by a ring of steel, and checkpoints with armed guards cascade in every street surrounding it, with entry allowed only to those with the correct documents and passport, and civilian cars cannot approach, and soldiers are required to Pedestrians are secret passwords that change daily, and are mostly made-up and meaningless words that are difficult for Russians to pronounce.
She also describes this headquarters from the inside, that all the windows and doors in it were covered with sandbags, saying that Zelensky was subjected, since the beginning of the war, to many assassination attempts.
In March of last year, Oleksiyi Danilov, head of Ukraine's National Security Council, revealed that the president had survived 3 assassination attempts in just one week.
As she sat in the waiting room inside Penkova, the Times political editor said she was still with the phone light on and watched military advisers in khaki uniforms come in and out of the presidential offices.
The raids began for the fourth time that day, and no one inside Benkova made any movement, and no one moved towards the underground bunker.
According to a government official - the author says - that cache was used only once in recent months, after intelligence was received during the summer stating that the Russians were planning to launch an attack on the government headquarters.
Penkova is a concrete block of offices surrounded by a ring of steel and lined with checkpoints with armed guards on every street surrounding it (Getty Images)
Protecting the president in the event of a siege
The author watched as a military strategist, carrying a large map folded under his arm, emerged from one of the stately offices where a military meeting of the government was taking place, and darted down a corridor marked with firing points to help Ukrainian forces protect the president in the event of a siege.
Shortly thereafter, a soldier sitting nearby jumped to his feet, and others in the author's room drew attention that Zelensky, clearly recognizable by his diminutive size and black hood bearing the words "I am Ukrainian," was He passes through the room followed by a group of advisors.
Among those following Zelensky was Andrei Yermak, the president's close friend and senior adviser, and the two had just returned from their shuttle diplomatic mission to Europe.
The writer said that the entire past year has been a test of endurance for Zelensky and his officials, who work 18 hours a day, seven days a week, and often sleep in their dark office building for protection, and hardly see their families.
One of the most pressing things on the president
Zelensky, who has an adult daughter Oleksandr, managed to arrange to see his 10-year-old son Kyrillo once every 10 days.
The author quoted an aide to the president as saying that living in the dark away from his wife (Olina) and their children is one of the most stressful things for Zelensky.
Over the course of a week, the British newspaper's political editor says she spoke to Yermak about the extraordinary challenges the government has faced in the 12 months since the start of the war.
Yermak, a former lawyer, is the chief of staff to the president, and although he rarely gives interviews, he agreed to meet the newspaper's political editor in a drawing room in Benkova.
The author said she felt like a mole stepping into the sunlight, as she was transported from the darkened waiting room into the bright lights of the stately conference room, which were briefly lit to allow for the interview.
They underestimated the possibility of entry of the Russians
It is the first anniversary of the entry of Russian forces into Ukraine.
For months, many in Ukraine - including Zelensky - played down the prospect of Russian forces entering, despite persistent warnings from US and British intelligence, and Zelensky declared martial law.
Senior Ukrainian government figures were immediately moved to underground bunkers - by order of the military - to stay there until further notice.
And the writer continues, “One of the insiders in Penkova told me that life was hard: you don’t see the sun, you don’t know the time,” adding, “If Putin is in his hiding place during the epidemic, it is not surprising that he goes crazy. I am tired of staying in such conditions for a long time.” ".
According to a government source, the initial plan was to stay underground for a week.
But events outside caused the plan to change.
When Russian forces captured many towns and cities in and around Kiev, it seemed for several weeks that the capital, too, would fall.
Zelensky and his top aides spent much of the first two months living underground, appearing sporadically to reassure people that the president had not fled.
An undertaking not to disclose information
Those invited to live with the president in the underground bunker had a nondisclosure pledge that prevented them from sharing any information about the bunker's layout, location, or amenities.
They were not even allowed to talk about the food they ate.
Isolated below, the team experienced the war on their iPhones.
President's days were mostly a series of meetings, interviews and calls with world leaders.
His sleep was sporadic and often restless.
Hours after the Russian attack, guards inside the secure government headquarters turned off the lights as gunfights raged around the government district, and provided bulletproof vests and assault rifles to Zelensky and dozens of his aides.
40-second speech
And the writer went on: The team inside Benkova must innovate.
The decisive moment came when Zelensky, Yermak and other senior advisers briefly emerged from their underground bunker on the second night of the offensive, while Ukrainian forces fought Russians in the nearby streets, to record a 40-second speech to his people.
The video clip, which was recorded late at night on the president's phone, was a response to Russian disinformation that he had left the country.
"We are all here. We are in Kiev. We are defending Ukraine," Zelensky said.
To the astonishment of the watching world, Ukraine not only resisted the Russian attack, but began to fight back.
"First, Russia underestimated our defense capabilities. Second, they overestimated their capabilities," said Rudnyansky, one of the president's advisers. "What we understand about the Russians is that they did not expect any clever plans. They acted in a naive way."
Rodniansky added that he remained amazed at the performance of the government, which includes a meeting on Monday morning - just like in Downing Street - and a media network, despite the fact that cabinet meetings were held for several months underground in a metro station that also received a surprise visit from the Irish pop group "U". 2", which performed a concert there in May last year.