blog # 967 - Russian War Room

when Russian President Vladimir Putin studied the country's strategic plans against Syria - following the deadly terrorist attack on the Russian charter jet that killed 224 people last month - the focus shifted from the task at hand to the place where the discussions were conducted.

Russian Military of Defence's new National Control Defence Centre is a triple-decker war room which happens to be the military's ground zero for all missile and nuclear weapon launches around the world. According to Russian state news agency, the war room is "bigger and better" than the US National Military Command Centre at Pentagon.

But going a step further and taking a leaf straight out of Hollywood, Rory Challands, the Russian correspondent of Al Jazeera English drew a parallel so perfect, it's difficult to deny its veracity:

Putin getting a briefing on latest strikes in Syria in new defence ministry command centre that is VERY James Bond It is believed that the war room, located on the Frunzenskaya embankment, left to the Moscow river, sits on a foundation of underground tunnels
The fortified room reached completion in 2014 and now serves as Russian army's most potent instrument of defence information. There is a helipad on the centre's roof which can easily make room for a Mi-8 transport helicopter.
Russia's multi-billion pound armada is putting its counterparts around the world to shame, but why not. It's grand, it's powerful. Damn, it's Putin's.