Russian Military Topographic Depot (Военно-топографическом депо.)
Russian Military Topographic Depot (Военно-топографическом депо; January 27, 1812 - present) was an arm of the Russian Imperial Army charged with the organization, production, and publication of cartographic data compiled by the Russian military. It built on the foundation of the Map Depot (Депо карт), founded in 1796 to create state-of-the-art maps of the empire for military use. The Depot was abolished in 1863, when its functions were transferred to the Military Topographic Section of the Directorate of the General Staff (управления Генерального штаба). In 1866, it became the basis for the Corps of Military Topographers (Корпус военных топографов), which underwent several reorganizations and name changes throughout the 20th century. During the Cold War period, it was known as the Military Topographic Directorate of the General Staff (Военно-топографическое управление Генерального штаба, often abbreviated as VTU). Even today, as part of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, it retains a similar name and function as in imperial times.
AKA: Военно-топографическом депо.
Largest Soviet-era map of Kiev.
This is an enormous, classified, and scarce four-sheet map of Kiev (Kyiv), standing more than six feet tall, produced in 1989 by the Soviet Military Topographic Directorate of the General Staff. It depicts the city near the end of the Soviet Era, holding high the flag of socialism and Russian-Ukrainian unity, but also reflecting some cracks in the edifice of state power. (more details)