Mikhaylovka Air Base

The air base was closed as a direct result of the post-Soviet military restructuring and downsizing that occurred throughout the 1990s. Its parent institution, the prestigious Kachinsk Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots, was disbanded in 1998. This led to the subsequent disbandment of its subordinate training regiments, including the one stationed at Mikhaylovka. The closure was driven by a combination of economic hardship in post-Soviet Russia and a strategic reorganization of the military's pilot training infrastructure.

The air base is completely abandoned and in a state of advanced decay. Satellite imagery shows the concrete runway, taxiways, and aprons are still visible but are severely cracked, weathered, and being reclaimed by vegetation. Most of the support buildings, including hangars, barracks, and administrative facilities, are in ruins or have been completely dismantled by locals for building materials over the years. The site is not used for any official purpose and stands as a derelict relic of the Soviet military.

Mikhaylovka Air Base was a significant Cold War-era military training airfield for the Soviet Air Force. It was the home of the 704th Training Aviation Regiment (704 UAP), a component of the Kachinsk Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots. The base's primary mission was to provide initial and basic jet flight training to cadets. For decades, thousands of future Soviet and Warsaw Pact military pilots took their first flights in jet aircraft here, primarily on the Aero L-29 Delfin and later the Aero L-39 Albatros. It was a crucial early step in the pipeline that produced pilots for the Soviet Union's vast air forces.

There are no known or credible plans to reopen or repurpose Mikhaylovka Air Base for aviation or any other official use. The cost of restoring the heavily degraded infrastructure would be prohibitive. The modern Russian Aerospace Forces have consolidated their training activities at a smaller number of active, modernized airfields, making the revival of this remote and abandoned base highly unlikely.