They ate canned goods, stale bread and chocolate: an American journalist told how the first days after the full-scale invasion of the russian federation were spent in Bankova
Kyiv • UNN
American journalist Simon Shuster described in detail the first days of the full-scale invasion on Bankova Street, where Ukrainian government officials continued to work in austere conditions.
Simon Shuster, a journalist for the American magazine Time, said that during the full-scale invasion, life on Bankova Street continued in nervous and ascetic conditions. This was reported by UNN with reference to excerpts from Shuster's book about Zelensky, published by The Telegraph.
Details
According to him, the most difficult for Zelensky were the nights. The journalist said that the president's phone was bursting with constant messages.
In the early days, I woke everyone up," he says. "I had no right to sleep until I found out which strikes fell where. And at 4:50 a.m., Zelensky would ask about the news
According to him, none of the government officials gave in to despair at this early stage. But eventually they all broke down. There was not much to eat. Sweets were handed out at meetings, and there was canned meat and stale bread in the communal kitchen.
One minister told me that he survived for several days on chocolate
He also said that Zelensky's face had become pale, and the president complained of a lack of sunlight and fresh air.
His legal assistant recalls that he looked like a walking corpse. "A living person cannot look like that," she said
His legal assistant recalls that he looked like a walking corpse. "A living person can't look like that," she said.
Addendum
At the same time, Shustre notes that over time , life in the bunker has become a more manageable routine. The first videoconference shifted to 7 a.m., enough time to have breakfast-"invariably scrambled eggs.
Employees were served hot food: sausages, dumplings with potatoes, and goulash.
Even after the ban on alcohol sales in the capital , Zelenskyy and his team kept a stock of alcohol and the president occasionally poured wine for aides who joined him for a meal.
Sometimes Zelenskyy would invite his staff to watch a movie, often a Hollywood novelty. Shuster emphasized that Zelensky could no longer watch Soviet comedies.
The journalist describes that at the beginning of the full-scale war, Zelensky's associates often called him "Volodya" and stayed in their seats when he entered the room. Later, they switched to the official address "Volodymyr Oleksandrovych".
