Kokhanovichi Airfield

The airfield was closed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The resident military unit, the 979th Fighter Aviation Regiment, was disbanded as part of the large-scale military restructuring and downsizing undertaken by the newly independent Republic of Belarus. The new nation could not economically sustain the vast military infrastructure inherited from the USSR, and the strategic need for many Cold War-era bases diminished.

The airfield is completely abandoned and in a state of advanced decay. Satellite imagery shows the main runway, extensive taxiways, and numerous hardened aircraft shelters (revetments) are still clearly visible but are crumbling and being overgrown by grass and trees. Many of the concrete slabs from the runway and taxiways have been removed over the years, likely for local construction projects. The associated garrison and technical buildings are derelict. The site is not used for any official purpose and is being slowly reclaimed by nature.

Kokhanovichi was a significant Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO) base during the Cold War, strategically located to protect the western airspace of the USSR. It was the home base for the 979th Fighter Aviation Regiment (979th IAP), which was part of the 2nd Air Defence Corps. The regiment's primary mission was air defense and interception. It was notably equipped with Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25P and later the upgraded MiG-25PDS 'Foxbat' interceptor aircraft. These were among the fastest combat aircraft ever built, designed specifically to counter high-altitude, high-speed threats like the American SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft.

There are no known official plans or credible prospects for reopening Kokhanovichi Airfield. The cost to restore the heavily deteriorated infrastructure to operational standards would be prohibitive. The Belarusian Air Force operates from a smaller number of more modern and strategically important air bases, making the reactivation of a remote, decaying Cold War-era airfield economically and militarily unfeasible.