Fire engulfs Russian defense ministry’s building in Moscow

A fire broke out at the former headquarters of the Russian defence ministry in Moscow on Sunday

A fire broke out at the former headquarters of the Russian defence ministry in Moscow on Sunday.

Firefighters work to put out a blaze at a building of Russian defence ministry in Moscow. (AP)

The ministry moved to a new headquarters on the Moskva River in 2014 but still kept the old building near the Kremlin.

Several hundred firefighters and several cranes were seen battling the blaze at the building.

The ministry said the fire will not affect its core operations since the military departments have long moved to the new headquarters. It said the old building on Znamenka Street houses the departments in charge of procurement and services.

There were no immediate reports about the cause of the fire.