Ukraine’s leader gives journalist Dmytro Komarov a tour of the secret rooms where he has been leading the war effort

Volodymr Zelensky keeps a bust of Winston Churchill on his desk, it was revealed, as the Ukrainian president opened the doors to his wartime living quarters for the first time.

Footage captured by Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Komarov – who was granted access to the bunker where Mr Zelensky has been living for the past year – shows the president’s desk bedecked with models of planes, a photograph of his family and a bust of Churchill. Mr Zelensky has previously spoken of his respect for Britain’s wartime leader, recently recalling how he sat in Churchill’s armchair and felt his “bravery” during a 2020 visit to London.

In a new documentary called Year, viewers are taken inside the bunker from where Mr Zelensky has been leading the war effort.

Besides his study, the footage

“This is what I wear,” he says, unveiling a long rack of similar-looking coats and a pair of military boots and trainers.

“I just don’t use suits right now,” he said, showing the journalist a suit he wore before the invasion. “We will win soon so we will wear suits soon.”

It comes after a BBC interview in which he told John Simpson that military wear was “more comfortable” and “more understandable for people” during war.

also reveals a simple bedroom with a patterned yellow carpet, a single wooden bed with floral bedspread and a small analogue clock on the wall.

Mr Zelensky said that he slept in the single bed alone but complained that his “back hurts” and that his eyesight has deteriorated after months of working in low light during the war.

Walking around, he explains that he has become used to regularly turning the lights off as a habit.

Viewers are also shown around his walk-in wardrobe where his old suits hang wrapped in plastic, abandoned in favour of dark khaki clothing and military boots.

“The time changed and it was not comfortable to speak to people in such difficult situations and I wanted to say to them that I will support them and I will be here,” he said.

Asked if he could imagine a time when he would return to suits and ties, he replied: “Yes, of course. After our victory, maybe the day of our victory.”

Mr Zelensky’s choice of military-style garb has helped to make him an international icon.

Boris Johnson, former British prime minister, sold one of the Ukrainian president’s fleece jackets for £90,000 at an auction to raise money for Ukraine.

Earlier this month, European Commission officials were warned not to imitate Mr Zelensky’s military-style dress during a visit to war-torn Ukraine.

The glimpse inside the war rooms comes as the head of the CIA again warned that China was considering sending arms to Russia, a move that he said would be “unwise”.

“We’re confident that the Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment,” William Burns told CBS News.