Flanked by the Red Square with its golden-domed cathedrals, the Kremlin's vast red walls tower over the Moskva River. 

Since time immemorial, the imposing building has been a focal point of Russian history — and the seat of Russian rulers.

"The Kremlin is the embodiment of Russia," says British historian Catherine Merridale. "It stands for state power."

When Russia's President Vladimir Putin received guests for crisis talks before the Ukraine war began, the world was astonished to see French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sitting at the opposite end of a vast, opulent white table.