She is one of the few people still commuting every day: “It’s scary travelling in now, but what can you do?” Most other members of staff have been sleeping on site in camp beds since the start of war.
![warroom defense com warroom defense com](http://europeanpost.co/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/1030538011-840x420.jpg)
As we are searched with mobile metal detectors, an office manager looks on anxiously from behind a large pile of toilet rolls. Inside the presidential compound, we are asked to leave our phones, devices, electronics and pens at the door – anything that could be used to identify our exact location. Now the capital is on a war footing once again. The nervy state of readiness in Kyiv is reminiscent of February 2014, when the Russian government’s efforts to keep Ukraine in its grip led to “the revolution of dignity” and the deaths of more than 100 people. The route snakes its way to the grey Soviet monolith past anti-tank obstacles, past men with guns, and increasingly well fortified checkpoints.
#WARROOM DEFENSE COM FREE#
The cobblestone streets of Kyiv are largely free of traffic these days, but the city’s central arteries have been reconfigured to confuse the enemy. It has taken nearly an hour for us to reach the gates of Volodymyr Zelensky’s compound, a journey that would normally last ten minutes. We’re moved towards a side entrance, then escorted inside through blacked-out corridors and stairways – up, down and deep into the body of the Ukrainian war machine.
![warroom defense com warroom defense com](http://aerospace.firetrench.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/norad20war20room.jpg)
![warroom defense com warroom defense com](https://www.khaama.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Putin-War-Room.jpg)
When the gates close, a soldier picks up a red vertushka, a secure government phone from the Soviet era, and asks for orders. The air-defence systems, huge chunks of metal, are easier to spot. Squinting, you can see the snipers: left, right, up and down. “Welcome to the fortress,” says a presidential aide. The white metal gates creak open, revealing spruce trees and sandbags.