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Mr Putin arrived at the GRU headquarters in a Russian Air Force helicopter.

The new complex has a total area of several tens of thousands of square metres. The most advanced construction materials and Russian-made high-tech equipment were used in its construction. The headquarters building comprises three sections and the territory is completely closed. A surveillance system makes it possible to monitor each room.

The President visited the situations centre and inspected the control centre where all the intelligence data comes in. Mr Putin was shown an example of photo information received via satellite, displaying a particular part of the country with many-fold enlargement of a selected site.

The President also visited the building’s training and sports facilities and the military intelligence museum.

Following the visit, Mr Putin became the first visitor to write in the guest book and wished the military intelligence officers success in their work.

Accompanying the President were Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Sobyanin, First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, Secretary of the Security Council Igor Ivanov, Director of the Federal Security Service Nikolai Patrushev, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Lebedev, Chief of the Russian General Staff Yury Baluyevsky, Director of the GRU Valentin Korabelnikov and Mayor of Moscow Yury Luzhkov.