Federal Military Memorial Cemetery

The Federal Military Memorial Cemetery near Mytishchi north-east of Moscow is Russia's central state burial ground for senior military, veterans and dignitaries. Opened in 2013 on a 54-hectare site, it is effectively the Russian counterpart to Arlington National Cemetery. An Orthodox church, a flaming pylon and memorial alleys lined with bronze statues define the layout; the dead include many generals killed in the war in Ukraine. Visitors reach the rigorously symmetrical site via the Yaroslavl highway, with its eternal flame at the centre. It offers a remarkably precise mirror of contemporary Russian state memory politics.