Zaicevas Airstrip

The closure was due to a combination of economic and political factors. The primary reason was the dissolution of the Soviet collective farm system (kolkhoz), which eliminated the economic basis for the airfield's existence. Its main purpose was agricultural aviation, and with the end of large-scale collective farming, the demand for these services ceased. Concurrently, with Latvia regaining its independence, all Soviet state and military structures, including the Aeroflot division responsible for agricultural flights, were withdrawn from the country.

The site is completely abandoned and in a state of dereliction. Satellite imagery shows a single paved runway (likely asphalt or concrete slabs) that is severely degraded, heavily cracked, and extensively overgrown with grass, weeds, and small shrubs. There is no remaining infrastructure such as hangars, terminals, or control towers. The surrounding area consists of active agricultural fields and forest, and the former airstrip is slowly being reclaimed by nature. It is not used for any formal purpose and is inaccessible for aviation.

Zaicevas Airstrip was a typical Soviet-era agricultural airfield, part of a vast network supporting the USSR's agricultural sector. Its primary historical significance lies in its role in the Soviet system of industrialized agriculture. The airfield was used almost exclusively for agricultural aviation (Авиационные химические работы - 'Aviation Chemical Work'). Operations involved aircraft, predominantly the Antonov An-2, performing crop dusting, seeding, and fertilizing tasks for the local collective farms. These services were managed by a specialized branch of the state airline, Aeroflot. While its main purpose was civilian, its strategic location less than 2 kilometers from the border with the Russian SFSR (now the Russian Federation) suggests it could have been designated as a reserve or dispersal landing strip for Soviet Border Troops or Air Force light aircraft in case of emergency, though its primary documented use remains agricultural.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Zaicevas Airstrip. The likelihood of it ever being reactivated is considered effectively zero. The reasons include a complete lack of economic demand in the sparsely populated rural region, the prohibitive cost of reconstructing the runway and building modern aviation infrastructure, and significant geopolitical and security complications that would arise from operating an airfield in such immediate proximity to the Latvian-Russian border, which is also the external border of the EU and NATO.