Kashiwabara Airfield

The airfield was closed primarily due to military restructuring and severe budget cuts following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. As a forward operating base in a remote and climatically harsh region, its operational costs were extremely high. With the end of the Cold War, its strategic importance diminished, leading to the disbandment of the fighter regiment stationed there and the subsequent abandonment of the facility. It was a purely military closure driven by economic and geopolitical changes.

The Kashiwabara/Severo-Kurilsk airfield is completely abandoned and in a state of advanced decay. Satellite imagery and ground reports show a deteriorating concrete runway, crumbling taxiways, and numerous empty, hardened aircraft revetments characteristic of a Cold War-era fighter base. The infrastructure is unusable for any form of conventional aviation. The site is a relic, littered with rusting military debris and overgrown vegetation, attracting occasional military history enthusiasts and photographers. The nearby town of Severo-Kurilsk is currently served by helicopter transport, which uses a separate helipad (ICAO: UHSS), and by sea.

The airfield has a significant dual history, reflecting the changing control of the Kuril Islands.

1. **Japanese Imperial Era (pre-1945):** Originally built by the Empire of Japan before or during World War II, it was known as Kashiwabara Airfield. It was one of several key military airfields on Paramushir Island, which was a major Japanese stronghold. The base was used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force to defend Japan's northern territories and was a factor in the northern Pacific theater, including the Aleutian Islands Campaign. It was a primary target during the Soviet invasion of the Kuril Islands in August 1945, which marked the end of Japanese control.

2. **Soviet/Russian Era (1945-1995):** After its capture by the Soviet Union in 1945, the airfield was taken over by the Soviet military and became a vital Cold War asset. It was known as Severo-Kurilsk Airfield (or sometimes referred to by other names in military contexts). It served as a forward airbase for the Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO). Its primary role was to intercept potential US and Japanese intruders approaching Soviet airspace from the Pacific. For many years, it hosted the 528th Fighter Aviation Regiment (528 IAP), which flew interceptor aircraft such as the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17, and later the more advanced MiG-23MLD, until the unit's disbandment around 1994.

There are zero prospects for reopening the original Kashiwabara airfield. Its infrastructure is beyond repair, and its location and design do not meet modern civil aviation standards. However, to address the extreme isolation of Paramushir Island, the Russian government has been constructing a **new, modern airport** at a different, more suitable location on the island. This project is part of a federal program to develop infrastructure in the Kuril Islands. The new airport is designed to handle small to medium-sized passenger aircraft (like the DHC-6 Twin Otter) and establish a regular, reliable air link with Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Therefore, while the old military airfield will remain a historical ruin, air connectivity for the island is being re-established through a completely new facility.