The burial of national dignitaries irregularly took place at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis in Red Square, Moscow, ending with the funeral of Soviet General Secretary Konstantin Chernenko in March 1985.

Construction of the Federal Military Memorial Cemetery began on 15 March 2008, on a 55 hectare plot off the Ostashkovskoe highway, located near the villages of Sgonniki and Borisovka in Mytishchinsky District, Moscow Oblast, west of the city of Mytishchi.

On 21 June 2013, the inaugural burial took place when the remains of an unknown Red Army soldier who died in Smolensk Oblast during World War II, and the complex was officially opened to the public the following day.

On 30 August 2013, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow consecrated the cornerstone of the cemetery church in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh, which was opened in 2014.

According to the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, the cemetery will be "a testament to extravagance, a piece of architectural monumentalism intended to reflect the glory of a resurgent Russia.

Drawings show that the 132-acre (0.53 km2) site will feature obelisks, golden statues of figures from Russia's past and friezes of workers in heroic poses.

All cancellations of the contest were terminated, along with a behind-the-scenes scandal, resulting in several individuals from the cemetery administration being found guilty and subsequently fired.

[2] Unique in the Russian monumental architecture and art ensemble is divided into four zones: entrance, production, ritual and burial area (including columbarium).

The functional part consists of four pavilions, including the underground memorial hall, a ritual store, a cafeteria and a public toilet.

On both sides of the Mall are 15 special sites intended for burial of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.