Svetlograd Air Base

The closure was a direct result of the large-scale military reforms and severe budget cuts that occurred within the Russian Armed Forces during the late 1990s. The resident unit, the 386th Separate Shturmovik Aviation Regiment, was disbanded as part of this downsizing, rendering the base surplus to requirements. The closure was for strategic and economic reasons, not due to a specific accident or environmental issue.

The air base is completely abandoned and in a state of advanced dereliction. Satellite imagery and ground reports confirm that the runway, taxiways, and numerous hardened aircraft shelters (revetments) are crumbling, cracked, and being reclaimed by nature. Many of the support buildings, barracks, and hangars are in ruins, having been scavenged for building materials like concrete slabs and scrap metal over the past two decades. The site is not used for any official or private purpose and stands as a derelict relic of the Soviet military.

Svetlograd Air Base was a significant Soviet and later Russian Air Force facility in the North Caucasus Military District. Its primary and sole resident unit was the 386th Separate Shturmovik Aviation Regiment (386th OShAP), which operated the Sukhoi Su-25 'Frogfoot' ground-attack aircraft. The base was constructed in the early 1980s, with the regiment being formed there around 1984-1985. The unit gained extensive combat experience, with its personnel and aircraft participating in the Soviet-Afghan War. The base's most notable role was during the First Chechen War (1994-1996), when it served as a forward operating base from which the 386th OShAP flew numerous combat sorties against targets in Chechnya.

There are no known official plans or credible prospects for reopening Svetlograd Air Base. The infrastructure has deteriorated to a point where reactivation would require a complete and prohibitively expensive reconstruction, essentially building a new base from scratch. The Russian Ministry of Defence has focused its resources on upgrading existing, active airfields or reactivating bases of higher strategic importance. Given the extensive decay and lack of strategic necessity, the reopening of Svetlograd is considered extremely unlikely.