For news and analysis on Russia by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Russia Report."
(Photos courtesy of Moscow's Cold War Museum)
Moscow's Underground Bunker
1
Underground Moscow - Twenty-two floors beneath street level, in central Moscow, lies a labyrinth of winding alleys and echoing caverns.
2
Underground Moscow - Upon descending into the network of four tunnels, each 150 meters long, metro trains can be heard passing overhead.
3
Underground Moscow - At one time, workers used special night trains to commute to the complex, which had access to the Taganskaya metro station.
4
Underground Moscow - The complex was once a top-secret bunker, built in the 1950s as a weapons cache, fuel depot, and shelter for up to 3,000 troops and civilians.
5
Underground Moscow - The complex was fitted with generators and an air-recycling system, and was stocked with food and medicines.
6
Underground Moscow - Originally designed to withstand a nuclear bomb, the bunker fell into disrepair in the 1990s and was exposed to the elements.
7
Underground Moscow - If all goes according to plan, a private company will turn the bunker into an underground leisure complex and hotel, complete with shops and a spa.
8
Underground Moscow - The complex is also expected to feature a Cold War museum and a restaurant that will replicate a military-style canteen.
9
Underground Moscow - Moscow's mayor sees opportunity underground, and is looking to develop 25 percent of the land beneath the expanding city over the next 10 years.