Kotly Airfield

The airfield's closure was a direct result of the large-scale military restructuring and downsizing that occurred after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The primary operational unit based at Kotly, the 27th Guards Vyborgskiy Red Banner Fighter Aviation Regiment (27th GvIAP), was disbanded in 1993. This was driven by severe economic constraints in post-Soviet Russia and a re-evaluation of strategic air defense needs, which led to the consolidation of forces at fewer, more modern airbases.

The Kotly Airfield is completely abandoned and in an advanced state of decay. Satellite imagery and reports from urban explorers show that the main runway, taxiways, and numerous hardened aircraft shelters (HAS) are still extant but are heavily weathered, cracked, and overgrown with vegetation. Most of the administrative, technical, and residential buildings have been stripped for materials, demolished, or have collapsed into ruins. The site is not maintained and has no security. It is occasionally visited by military history enthusiasts, photographers, and urban explorers drawn to its atmospheric, post-Soviet ruins.

Kotly Airfield was a significant Cold War military installation belonging to the Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO). Its primary mission was to protect the northwestern approaches to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) from potential NATO air attacks originating from the Baltic Sea and Scandinavia. The airfield was home to the 27th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (27th GvIAP), an elite unit with a distinguished history dating back to World War II. Throughout its operational history at Kotly, the regiment flew several generations of interceptor aircraft, most notably the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23MLD 'Flogger-K'. In the final years before its closure, the regiment began converting to the more advanced Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker', but the process was cut short by the unit's disbandment. The airfield's strategic location made it a key component of the formidable Leningrad air defense sector.

There are no known official plans or credible prospects for reopening Kotly Airfield. The entire infrastructure, including runways, buildings, and utilities, is derelict and would require complete reconstruction at a prohibitive cost. Its former strategic military role has been absorbed by other active airbases in the Western Military District equipped with modern aircraft and systems. There is no economic or military justification for its revival in the foreseeable future.