The system is mostly underground, with the deepest section 84 metres (276 ft) underground at the Park Pobedy station, one of the world's deepest underground stations.

The Moscow Metro is world-famous for its incredible depth, with many stations serving as dual-purpose air-raid shelters. On average, the stations are between 35 and 55 meters (115–180 feet) underground, but the deepest parts of the network reach much further. The deepest station in Moscow is Park Pobedy, located at a staggering 84 meters (276 feet) below the surface. To reach the platform, you must ride one of the longest escalators in Europe, which is 126 meters (413 feet) long and takes approximately three minutes to ascend or descend. Other deep stations include Timiryazevska (63.5 meters) and Chekhovskaya (62 meters). This extreme depth was a result of both the challenging geological conditions of Moscow—requiring tunneling deep beneath the water table and existing building foundations—and the Cold War-era military strategy to create a safe refuge for the city's population during a nuclear event. Even in 2026, the rapid expansion of the Moscow Metro continues to include deep-pylon stations that remain some of the most impressive underground engineering feats in history.