Main Building of the Ministry of Defense (Russia)

The Main Building of the Russian Defense Ministry is the headquarters of the Russian Ministry of Defense, located in Moscow, Russia.

Main Building of the Ministry of Defense
Здание Минобороны России
Headquarters of the Russian Defense Ministry in August 2016
General information
Status	Completed
Location	Moscow,  Russia
Address	Znamenka 19[1]
Construction started	1940
Completed	1951
Renovated	1979–1988
Owner	Russian Defense Ministry
Technical details
Floor count	8

The building was designed by Russian architect Lev Rudnev and was renovated by Mikhail Posokhin who was the main architect of Moscow (1960–1982). Ground was broken for construction in 1940, and the building was dedicated in 1952.

The main ministry building, built in the 1940s and renovated in the 1980s, is located on Arbatskaya Square, near Arbat Street. Other buildings of the ministry are located throughout the city of Moscow. The high supreme body that is responsible for the Ministry's management and supervision of the Armed Forces is The National Defense Management Center (Национальный центр управления обороной РФ) which is located in Frunze Naberezhnaya and responsible for centralization of the Armed Forces' command.

The building has eight floors. The walls are decorated with marble, Ural stones: serpentine and granite.

On April 5, 2023 a fire broke out for an unknown reason. The fire was treated quickly before major damage was done, according to state media emergency services responded quickly. The situation is currently under investigation according to the Defence Ministry.[2]

Building in 2012 before reconstruction