Partial address of the
Moscow Criminal Investigation Department located in
Moscow,
Russia. The term has been immortalized during the
Soviet era, and has taken on the meaning similar to its
British equivalent,
Scotland Yard.
The building now serving as the Department's headquarters was a mansion owned in the 18th century by Prince Shcherbatov. The mansion was later bought out by the state and turned into police barracks in 1816. For almost two centuries it has remained one of the few places feared by petty criminals and Russian Mafia alike. Since the place has on numerous occasions been an alleged site of civil rights violations, a visit there is never something to look forward to.