Ukraine's capital Kyiv had been expected to fall within 72 hours of a Russian invasion, but when the attack finally came, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was determined to stay and fight for his nation's survival. In Part 2 of our documentary, we continue to retrace the timeline of those critical first 72 hours. Drawing on interviews with the president's closest aides, official government releases and global media reports, we shed fresh light on events that have set in motion a new era of global polarization and instability.
Ukraine under Attack: the first 72 hours.
We are all here.
Our soldiers are here.
Our country's citizens are here.
We are all here defending our independence, our country,
and we will continue to do so.
Ukraine's capital Kyiv had been expected to fall within 72 hours forcing the country to surrender.
Kyiv could fall within 72 hours if Moscow invades.
Kyiv could fall within 72 hours.
But Ukraine's President Zelenskyy was determined to fight for his nation's survival.
We hear from the aides working behind the scenes with the president during those critical first 72 hours.
I can't see the Ukrainian coat of arms.
Those are definitely Russian.
The first day of the invasion was marked by surprise Russian missile strikes across Ukraine.
At the same time, a huge force of Russian tank and infantry divisions crossed the border at multiple locations.
Antonov International Airport is of key strategic importance for the defense of Kyiv.
We've taken the control tower!
No one expected this to happen.
Such a huge army could kill everyone in a day.
Incoming, incoming...
So many tanks!
Russian forces also seized control of the Chornobyl nuclear plant, raising fears of radiation leaks.
I regret to have to inform you...
that all facilities of the Chornobyl Nuclear
Power Plant have been occupied by Russian troops.
I asked if they realized they were
the ones committing nuclear terrorism.
But the Russian soldiers just grinned.
All my colleagues were terrified.
The international community was initially reluctant to provide military aid to Ukraine.
If you don't assist us now,
if you don't strongly support us now,
then tomorrow, war will come knocking at your door.
All our Western allies thought
we would be gone in a matter of days.
They said Ukraine would likely not be able to
hold out and defend its sovereignty.
They told us, "We sympathize and weep,
but for now we will watch, we will wait."
I asked Washington to provide portable
surface-to-air Stinger missiles.
They said, "Impossible."
Their only suggestion was, "Dig a trench."
That was the reality.
On the first day of the invasion alone,
Russia launched over 100 missile strikes on cities and villages across Ukraine.
On the ground, an estimated up to 190,000 Russian forces rolled into Ukraine.
Day two of the invasion...
Russian armored vehicles entered Kyiv itself.
It was looking like only a matter of time before the capital fell.
I actually agreed with the many countries
that assumed we would fall within 72 hours.
Meanwhile, Russian agents were plotting the assassination of President Zelenskyy.
According to the information we have,
the enemy designated me as the primary target,
my family as the secondary.
By eliminating the country's leadership,
they are trying to destroy the Ukrainian state.
This is one of the red folders marked as "Top Secret."
Every time the red folder arrived,
I had to update the president on the threat status.
A large number of Russian operatives
were hiding in Kyiv.
The security services were working frantically to suppress
subversive activities around the Presidential Office Building.
Car bombings and acts of sabotage were
being plotted and carried out.
Russian snipers were also discovered
and detained or eliminated.
We received intelligence that operatives
would use diggers,
to enter the underground passage to
the Presidential Office Building.
We were also under constant threat of
a direct missile attack.
At least 13 attempts on the president's life were uncovered.
Watch your back.
Watch it!
It was decided President Zelenskyy should take shelter in the underground bunker below the Presidential Office Building,
together with some 100 officials and staff of his administration.
It was clear that morale would be broken
if the president died.
Not just sympathy for him personally,
but great damage to the country's morale as a whole.
Guns, bulletproof vests
and ammunition were distributed.
In a worst-case scenario, every member of the
Presidential Office assumed they'd be killed.
When I heard that they had to evacuate to the bunker,
I was ordered to leave Kyiv with my children.
We could no longer let anyone know where we were.
President Zelenskyy is a former actor and comedian.
His films and TV shows were broadcast not just in Ukraine but also in Russia, catapulting him to stardom.
A turning point in his career came in 2015
when he played the role of President of Ukraine in the television series "Servant of the People."
If only I could be president for a week!
The show tells the story of an average high-school history teacher
who unexpectedly becomes president, taking on government corruption along the way.
Good morning, Mr. President.
I solemnly take up the role of President of Ukraine...
The satirical drama closely reflected current affairs both at home and abroad,
and became a massive hit, running for three seasons over a five year period.
Next, we will practice the most important of
all rituals - the inauguration ceremony.
- What should I do?
- Nothing special.
Smile, nod and shake hands. And most importantly,
don't talk too much, so we won't need to apologize.
Angela Merkel.
- Good evening, Mr. President.
- Good evening.
Shake hands gently. Support from the German Federal Bank
depends on this handshake.
Sarkozy and Putin.
- Why Putin?
- In fact, why Sarkozy?
Sorry, they were from last year's list.
Go home, Sarkozy!
Get lost, Putin!
I don't want to see your faces again.
My congratulations, we decided to take you to the European Union.
Oh, oh, I'm sorry, wow!
Thank you very much.
All the Ukrainians and all of our country have been waiting for this for so much time.
Ukrainians?
Yes, Ukrainians.
Oh, I'm so sorry. That's a mistake.
I was calling Montenegro.
Then in 2018, the fictional drama took its first step to becoming reality.
Zelenskyy launched a political party "Servant of the People," named after the drama,
later announcing he would be running for president, for real.
Yes, I'm ready!
In 2019, Zelenskyy won the second round of elections,
with 73 percent of the vote, to become the real-life President of Ukraine.
I swear to defend the sovereignty
and independence of Ukraine with all my deeds,
and to care for the good of the Motherland
and well-being of all Ukrainian people.
During his presidential campaign,
Zelenskyy had vowed to bring an end to the conflict with pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine,
and retake all remaining areas held by the rebels.
Yet he would be confronted with some harsh realities.
Zelenskyy held a series of talks with Russian officials, right up to the highest level,
but it would all prove to no avail.
Then in 2022, the very day before the invasion,
with Russian forces gathered along the border, Zelenskyy placed a phone call to Putin.
But President Putin wouldn't pick up.
Zelenskyy instead made a televised message, addressed to the people of Russia.
Today I initiated a phone call to the President of Russia,
but the result was silence.
Today I appeal to all citizens of Russia,
not as a president but as a Ukrainian citizen.
Do Russians want war?
I want to answer this question,
but I leave the answer to you,
to the citizens of the Russian Federation.
That evening, the president was
like a driver driving in bad weather.
He was very focused.
Presidential Office Press Secretary Daria Zarivna was observing the president from close by.
On the evening of the 23rd, speaking in Russian,
the president made his last peacetime address...
"Do Russians want war?"
It was a question that had not yet been answered
at the time.
But four hours later, we got an answer.
The answer was explosions in Ukrainian cities,
the roar of tanks, and the shelling of civilians.
"Do Russians want war?"
With Russian forces suddenly closing in on their towns and villages,
fear and panic spread among the people of Ukraine.
It's a nightmare.
Many civilians even headed for the western border on foot.
"Civilians attempting
to hitchhike to safety"
More than 100,000 Ukrainians attempted to flee the country in the first two days of the invasion.
Spending the night under fire...
That's not a place I want to stay.
A lot of shelling, a lot of tanks, it was very scary.
Amid the general confusion, rumors were spreading that President Zelenskyy had already left Ukraine.
Some 32 hours into the invasion, Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov received a call.
On the line was his Belarusian counterpart, Viktor Khrenin.
Khrenin said, "I am a mediator.
These are not my own thoughts."
"I am telling you on behalf of
Russia's Defense Minister Shoigu."
"Resisting is in no one's interest."
"As long as Ukraine signs the instrument of surrender,
the Russian invasion can stop."
This is what Defense Minister Khrenin said.
The head of Ukraine's presidential office, Andriy Yermak,
received a call from Kremlin Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak, urging a quick surrender.
He said that one thing which is necessary to do, it's to capitulate
and my answer was, so kind so that we had stopped any communications with him
and I think that finally stopped any conversation with this person.
President Putin himself weighed in to put further pressure on Ukraine.
He urged Ukrainian troops to stage a coup, insisting Zelenskyy's resistance was causing civilian deaths.
I appeal to all Ukrainian servicemen.
Do not allow neo-Nazis to use your children,
your wives and the elderly as human shields.
Take power into your own hands.
It seems easier for us to come to an agreement with you
than with a band of drug addicts and neo-Nazis,
who stay in Kyiv and hold the Ukrainian people hostage.
Western governments urged Zelenskyy to flee Kyiv.
Governing faction leader Davyd Arakhamia was with the president in the underground bunker.
Our Western partners said,
"Here's a helicopter, get in."
They were very insistent.
Every half an hour they'd say, "The city is under siege,
you should get out immediately."
The West was preparing for a government-in-exile.
If the country was taken over by the Russians,
we would go to Lviv or Poland.
From there we would say,
"We oppose and condemn the invasion."
A lot of people came and said,
"Let's give up, it's better that way."
It wasn't only our Western allies.
Different people made different arguments,
but the essence was the same: "Give up."
I was one of those who suggested we escape.
I told the president, "Don't surrender,
just move to a better command center."
"If you die like this? What will happen?"
As commander-in-chief and national symbol,
he could continue to lead from another location.
Should the government abandon resistance and allow Russia to rule their country?
Or should they continue fighting back in spite of civilian casualties?
Zelenskyy summoned all of the 100 people in the bunker.
He said, "If we slim down to just 20 to 30 people
with security, we have food for 60 to 70 days."
"It will let us hold out here for a long time."
The worst thing was that the internet was cut off,
so no one would know if Russia took control.
I requested a Starlink satellite connection,
so we could continue to communicate with the public.
Everyone said, "See you soon,"
and we all hugged each other.
The women were all quite tearful.
The president urged his aides to decide for themselves whether to stay.
I told him, "I just need a little time."
"I can't decide on my own."
I called my wife and explained the situation.
"I'm here with the president,
but I'm not going to leave."
I am a professional military man.
I wasn't scared, but I thought it was over.
We couldn't win.
Don't worry. Help your mother.
She's going to raise you alone.
As a boy, you must protect your mother.
When we win, I will come back home.
I love you. Be well, goodbye.
Zelenskyy and his four aides eventually emerged from the bunker
some 37 hours after Putin's declaration that his troops were moving in.
They had decided to show the world their resolve never to flee or give in to Russia.
Gunfire smoke was still visible in the sky.
Security were nervous,
but they still got out and filmed them.
Good evening, everybody.
The leader of the governing faction,
the head of the office of the president, the prime minister,
the advisor to the presidential office,
and the president are all here.
We are all here.
Our soldiers are here.
Our country's citizens are here.
We are all here defending our independence,
our country, and we will continue to do so.
Glory to those who defend Ukraine.
- Glory to Ukraine.
- Glory to heroes!
Their historic decision would significantly change not only the fate of Ukraine itself,
but also the course of world events.
On the third day of the invasion, Russia intensified its attacks,
attempting to bring Ukraine to its knees by force.
Attacking us like this...
I'm shocked!
One after another, towns and villages across Ukraine fell to Russian forces.
But some 57 hours into the invasion, news came in of a change in Russian troop movements.
Russian forces are now advancing in many parts of the country,
but also being slowed by really strong Ukrainian defenses.
The Russian advances were beginning to stall considerably.
"Destroyed Russian military vehicles."
Ukrainian forces destroyed a dam north of Kyiv to cause floods.
This cut off the shortest route to the capital.
They also blew up many bridges leading to Kyiv.
"Bridges destroyed
by Ukrainian troops."
This made the Irpin River impossible to cross, blocking Russian advances.
When I saw that rivers and valleys stopped those powerful forces,
and left them powerless under artillery fire,
I understood there was no need to be afraid of them.
I thought we might have a small chance.
I started to want to fight a little more.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces were secretly working on another operation.
We record and track all Russian missile attacks daily.
We know everything that's happening, and where.
On the first day of the invasion, Russian missile strikes aimed to destroy Ukraine's air defense systems,
to give the invaders control of the skies.
It was in fact their top priority.
However, since a month or so earlier,
Ukrainian troops had secretly been moving fighter jets and air defense missile systems,
from their regular positions, all concealed under the guise of military drills.
It's coming down!
Ukrainian forces managed to keep these crucial weapons unharmed in the initial strikes,
enabling them to launch counter attacks.
"Russian military helicopter
being shot down."
Tremendous work had been done that
the enemy could not have anticipated.
In those early days,
the enemy were launching missiles like crazy.
They believed they had stabbed the heart of our defense.
But they were really just firing missiles at empty places.
We had strategically been doing
our exercises in different locations.
Our troops were moving around Ukraine.
We were always on the move,
so we didn't get attacked.
Very exclusive units, so as to prevent information leaks,
worked over a one month period,
allowing us to disperse our weapons
and ammunition. That saved us.
In retrospect, it may have been our wisest decision.
Russian troops took control of Antonov International Airport on the first day of the invasion.
But Ukrainians fought back using weapons they had concealed.
Ukrainian troops used the hidden weapons to damage the airport's runway
and prevent additional Russian forces from landing.
Here's another one.
Our artillerymen were given the task of
accurately hitting the runway.
It meant Russian troops couldn't land military transport
aircraft here and were forced to come overland.
Ukrainian soldiers received a confidential order from the head of the military
to move trench mortars to the opposite side of the runway the day before the invasion.
That evening they were moved
to the other side of the runway.
We dug holes in the ground and covered them
with camouflage nets to hide them.
This prevented Russian forces from sending reinforcements by air,
upsetting their plans to take the capital within 72 hours.
Russia, a country boasting the world's second-largest military, had seriously misjudged Ukraine.
Russia is believed to have been planning to take Kyiv within days and install a pro-Moscow government,
with the intent of annexing the whole of Ukraine by the summer.
But except for some elite troops, many Russian soldiers didn't fully understand why they had to fight.
Morale was low.
We weren't informed we'd be going to Ukraine.
We had just 40 minutes to get ready.
I only realized what was happening on our flight in.
We don't understand why we're here.
Our superiors are empty-headed
and don't know anything.
What did they say?
Nothing. They don't tell us anything. Anything.
It's a nightmare.
Russian units were even getting lost on the roads.
They don't know which way to go...
Just driving round and round.
In Kyiv, a Russian tank crushed a car with a man inside on the second day of the invasion.
Residents reported that the tank involved also appeared to be driving around lost.
The tank just stopped in the middle of the road.
It seemed like they didn't know the way.
They probably strayed from their motorcade.
They were even asking residents for directions.
They were vomiting. Maybe they were car sick.
Someone asked if they wanted water.
I said, "Are you going to give water to
the Russian occupiers?"
"Russian tank involved
in the incident."
They came with these maps.
This map was confiscated from a Russian army officer.
This is a classified Soviet era map.
It shows the terrain as it was in 1985,
but it was published in 1989,
after the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.
Russian troops were using a map from over 30 years ago.
One result was their tanks ended up concentrated along certain routes, causing congestion.
Immobilized military vehicles became easy targets for Ukrainian anti-tank missiles.
Along narrow forest roads
from Belarus to the Sumy and Chernihiv regions,
they were traveling in a long convoy
without any guidance system.
It extended for some 20 to 40km
along a single narrow road.
They couldn't turn left or right into the forest.
If we shot at them, there was no way we could miss.
Even if we fired with our eyes closed,
we'd still hit them.
When Russian forces annexed Crimea in 2014, they met little resistance.
The experience likely contributed to an overly optimistic outlook for their operations in Ukraine.
We became aware of what was being reported
to the Russian president.
He'd been told that, just as during the
annexation of Crimea in 2014,
some 30% of Ukrainians would
greet Russians on the streets with flowers,
while 60% would be indifferent to the invasion
and would accept any government.
That left only 10% in western regions
who would try to resist Russia.
This is the helmet of a Russian soldier.
They came to Ukraine, believing the people would welcome them with open arms.
One unit was even prepared for a victory parade.
They brought military uniforms for the parade.
What stupid guys.
Shortly before the invasion,
they had even called a restaurant to make a reservation.
There's video and audio of when the staff of a Kyiv restaurant
asked the name for the reservation.
They actually answered:
"The 31st brigade from Ulyanovsk."
The Russian soldier made a reservation at this restaurant just days before the invasion.
President Zelenskyy himself has dined at this restaurant, which serves traditional Ukrainian food.
The server who received the call remembers it in detail.
Take a look. February 16th.
He is the one who called.
+7 is the country code for Russia.
The reservation was for 200 people,
and this is the record at that time.
I understood that it was a reservation
for Russians soldiers,
because they were talking about where
to put weapons and tanks.
He even asked, "Can I pay with Russian rubles?"
I said, "No."
He said, "OK, but soon you'll be accepting rubles."
I wasn't worried. I thought he was joking.
If you like I can call and ask if he's still alive or not.
But I think not.
My heart...
Nothing.
Try again?
Oh, he's messaged me, "Later."
I thought he wasn't alive.
Russia never expected the determined resistance its troops received from ordinary Ukrainians.
That man...
He's climbing on the tank.
He's telling them to stop.
It confused Russian soldiers, who'd been told to expect a warm welcome.
Where are you going?
Go out of here!
Put your gun on me!
Get out of our country!
Go home!
Go home!
Go home!
This is Ukraine!
Who are you?
We are on training.
What training? Where are you from?
Are you Russians?
What the hell are you doing here?
I don't want to argue.
You are invaders, you are fascists.
What are you doing with guns on our land?
Put these sunflower seeds in your pocket.
When you die, at least they can bloom.
"Sunflowers
The national flower of Ukraine."
They don't understand how our society works.
They don't understand that
we have a democratic society.
They don't recognize us as a nation, considering us
"Malorussians" and part of Russia.
They have no idea what it is we are fighting for.
Everyone stood up to defend their country.
From people taking up arms to grandmothers
throwing jars of pickled cucumbers and tomatoes.
Go home!
Without all these amazing people
at the start of the invasion,
Ukraine could never have stayed standing.
All these ordinary people acting on their own
initiative regardless of their status...
it turned the glimmer of hope that Ukraine
could resist into real conviction.
To have a chance of winning,
we had to convince the world...
that we could defend ourselves and would do
everything in our power to win.
Once we were able to demonstrate that, we began
receiving military aid even beyond our expectations.
On the third day of invasion, the US and European countries finally announced military aid for Ukraine.
"Russian and Belarusian authorities did not respond to
NHK's requests for interview."
72 hours into the invasion, Ukraine was still standing.
It was a tough night.
Ukrainians stood up to defend their country.
For the sake of future generations, nothing is more
important than fighting for our lives and freedom.
And there are people who can help us.
This is already a reality.
Dear people of Ukraine,
we know exactly what we are protecting.
We will surely emerge victorious.
Glory to each and every soldier. Glory to Ukraine!
Ukraine had successfully held out against the might of the Russian military for 72 hours.
But it was only the beginning of a long, hard fight for survival.
“Piece for Illia”
by Sakamoto Ryuichi & Illia Bondarenko.
"Massacres and evidence of torture are discovered."
"Ukraine's east and south
become the primary battle grounds."
"The southeastern city of Mariupol
is besieged for three months."
"Children sheltering underground
in the Azovstal bunker."
"The last group of Ukrainian forces
at Azovstal surrender."
"Mariupol falls to Russian control.
The precise deathtoll remains unknown."
"The US expands its arms supplies to Ukraine."
"Russia calls up 300,000 reservists."
Victory will be ours!
"Russia unilaterally declares its annexation
of four regions in the east and south."
"Ukrainian troops retake the strategically
significant southern city of Kherson."
"Russia's occupation of
Ukraine enters its 9th month."
"Air raids continue to hit residential areas."
You Russians have always been welcomed
warmly in our city, haven't you?
Like normal people, like family.
What did you do to my son?
I curse you for seven generations.
"More than a year on from the start of the invasion,
countless lives continue to be lost every day."
"How long will this war continue?"
"What will it take to bring an end to the fighting?"