Main points
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that during the war he had never been to a cafe, theater, or cinema with his family.
- The president lived in the bunker for two years of the war, but now no longer goes there and plans to show the bunker to reporters on February 24.
Zelensky was not in the cafe during the war / Collage by Channel 24, photo used depositphotos
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is often asked about his life during the war. And he is willing to answer.
AFP journalists asked how the president spends his free time and time with his family. Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about this in an interview.
Why wasn't Zelenskyy in the cafe during the war?
The leader of the state has said more than once that he doesn't have much time for his family. But he tries to spend every free moment with his family.
“When we have time, we meet, we try. We always want to have dinner or spend the weekend together. I mean, I don't have Saturday and Sunday off. But if we can have dinner on such a day, it's great. If it works out,” Zelenskyy said.
But the head of state's family, unfortunately, has no other traditions.
I don't go to the movies, I don't go to the theater, and the kids go with their grandmother when they can, but I don't go anywhere else. I don't go to the shops, I've never been to a cafe in all the years of the war,
– said the president.
Zelenskyy talks about cafes and cinema during the war: watch the video
He said he drank coffee at a gas station, but not at a cafe with children.
“It doesn't happen that my children and I go somewhere on a family vacation,” the guarantor concluded.
Interesting! By coffee at the gas station, the journalist probably meant the incident in June 2023. Then the president met with the military at one of the Donbas gas stations and drank coffee with them.
Zelenskyy drinks coffee with the military / Photo: Office of the President
Zelenskyy told how he lived in a bunker – and promised to show it
When asked about it, the president said that he no longer lives in the bunker. But he lived there for two years.
I lived in a bunker for two years, but I worked here. Every day, from the first day of the war, I knew that we couldn't all be forced into a bunker. That's the main thing. Yes, you go there at night, sit in the bunker, talk in the morning, at night, but you still have to come back here, get out. Well, basically, as people, they go to bomb shelters all the time, go to the subway. But the main thing, in my opinion, is that the Russians can't force us into a bunker. And that's what should distinguish us from them,
– he explained.
But now he doesn't go to the bunker.
“The guards are yelling at me, saying that I'm setting a bad example for people. I agree. I walk at night. I agree that this is wrong. For me, this is very far,” Zelenskyy told interesting details.
After that, he announced that he would show the bunker to media representatives on February 24.
“I want to show you where we lived, worked, fought, and everything that happened. And this will remain in our memory. I believe it is right to show this,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
Other interesting facts about how Zelensky lives during the war
- Speaking to AFP, the president said that although he doesn't go to the cinema, he watches films. For example, the new film “Nuremberg” or the 2025 film “One Battle After Another” with DiCaprio.
- From books, he reads historical literature – in particular, about Churchill and Orwell, World War II, the Caribbean Crisis, and Margaret Thatcher.
- At night, Air Force Commander Anatoly Krivonozhko writes to the president. Garant replies and reads the news.
- Before the war, Zelensky loved to run outside, but now he doesn't. He now limits himself to 30 minutes of exercise.
- The president does not follow any special diet. Instead, he tries not to get stressed.