Putin Wows Western Press With Russian Military's New 'War Room'

"The real star of the show may have been the building itself, which is designed to be a new nerve center for the Russian military," Andrew Roth, a reporter for the Washington Post's Moscow bureau, said.

He added that the center will help "coordinate military action around the world, including ballistic missile launches and strategic nuclear deployments."

The Washington Post quoted Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying that the center is a step toward "forming a single information space for solving tasks in the interests of the country's defense."

The center includes a helicopter pad where a Russian Mi-8 transport helicopter can be stationed, according to the newspaper. It claimed that the facility was built as part of the Russian army's modernization and that it can become the country's main communications center in the event of a war.

The Washington Post specifically focused on the briefing itself, where the newspaper said "army personnel sat in color-coded rows with matching headsets and water bottles bearing the Russian army brand."

The newspaper was echoed by an Al Jazeera journalist, who likened the briefing in the new Russian National Control Defense Center to a James Bond movie.

After hearing reports by Shoigu and Russian military chief of staff Valery Gerasimov, President Putin ordered them to cooperate with French Navy officials so as to work out a joint action plan to fight terrorists in Syria.