Kusnetsovka Airfield

Military downsizing and restructuring. The airfield was the home base for the 28th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (28 GvIAP) of the Soviet and later Russian Air Defence Forces. This regiment was disbanded around 1993-1994 as part of the massive reduction of the armed forces following the collapse of the Soviet Union. With its sole military tenant gone, there was no strategic or economic justification to maintain the airfield, leading to its abandonment.

The airfield is completely abandoned and in a state of advanced decay. The concrete runway and taxiways are severely degraded, cracked, and overgrown with grass and trees. Many of the concrete slabs have been removed by locals for use as building materials. The garrison area, hangars, and other technical buildings are in ruins. The site is not used for any official purpose and is completely unsuitable for any aviation activity. It is occasionally visited by military history enthusiasts and urban explorers.

Kusnetsovka was a key Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO) airbase during the Cold War, strategically located within the Moscow Air Defence District. Its primary mission was the air defense of the capital and the central industrial region. The base was home to the 28th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Over its history, the regiment operated several types of interceptor aircraft, including the Sukhoi Su-9 'Fishpot' and, in its final years, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23P 'Flogger-G'. The base was a typical Cold War-era military installation with a hardened concrete runway, taxiways, and dispersed aircraft revetments designed to protect aircraft from a potential first strike.

None. There are no known official or private plans to reopen or redevelop the airfield. The extensive damage, remote location, and the prohibitive cost of rebuilding the infrastructure make its revival for either military or civilian purposes extremely unlikely.