| 12th Chief Directorate of the Ministry of Defense | |
|---|---|
 12th Chief Directorate emblem | |
| Active | 4 September 1947–present |
| Country |  Russian Federation (1991–present) Soviet Union (1947–1991) |
| Branch | Ministry of Defense |
| Role | Management and control over the maintenance, development and operation of Russia's nuclear arsenal |
| Part of | Ministry of Defence (Russia) |
| Headquarters | House number 19, Bolshoi Znamensky lane, Sokolniki District, Moscow |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Lt Gen. Igor Kolesnikov |
| Deputy Commander | Maj Gen. A. V. Rozhnov |
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The 12th Chief (or "Main") Directorate of the Ministry of Defense (12 GU MO) of the former Soviet Union and of the Russian Federation after 1991 (Russian: 12 Главное Управление Министерства Обороны СССР/РФ (Ядерно-техническое обеспечение и Безопасность) is a highly secretive department within the Russian Ministry of Defense. Since its creation in 1947, it is responsible for the safe-keeping, technical maintenance, transportation, delivery, issuance, disposal, etc. of the Russian nuclear weapons, and all nuclear weapons storage sites operated by nuclear capable units of the Strategic Rocket Forces, Ground Forces, Air Force and Navy, as well as the testing of nuclear charges, which includes ensuring ecological safety of such tests and the maintenance of former Soviet/Russian testing grounds. These are known in Russian as "polygons" – in Semipalatinsk (Semipalatinsk Test Site, now Kazakhstan) and on Novaya Zemlya Archipelago.
Unlike the GRU (Chief Directorate of Intelligence), the 12th GU MO is not a chief directorate of the General Staff, but a chief directorate of the Ministry of Defense. As such it is not subordinated to the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet/Russian Armed Forces, but directly to the Minister of Defense, which makes it higher in status compared to the GRU. The position of the Chief of the 12th GU MO is equal to that of the commander of a military district, and supposed to be occupied by a 4-star General or by a Marshal of Artillery. However, in practice, out of seven chiefs of this Organization, only one (E.V. Boichuk) has held such a high rank – the other six were only three-star Generals.