Bettobi Airfield

A combination of strategic military changes and natural disaster. The primary driver was the post-Soviet military drawdown, which made maintaining a remote and costly Cold War-era base economically and strategically unviable. The complete destruction of the supporting civilian and military infrastructure of Baykovo by the 1994 tsunami rendered the location uninhabitable and sealed the airfield's fate.

Completely abandoned and in a state of advanced decay. The site is an open-air museum of military history. The concrete runways, taxiways, and numerous aircraft revetments are still visible but are cracked, overgrown, and unusable. Ruins of Japanese-era fortifications and Soviet-era barracks, hangars, and administrative buildings litter the landscape. The island of Shumshu is now uninhabited, visited only by historical expeditions, military search teams recovering soldiers' remains, and occasional adventure tourists. The airfield is a ghost town and cannot be used for aviation.

The airfield has major historical significance spanning WWII and the Cold War.

WWII Era (as Kataoka Airfield): Originally built by the Japanese Empire, it was known as Kataoka Airfield (or Miyoshino Airfield) and was a key naval air station for the Imperial Japanese Navy's 5th Fleet. It was a critical base for patrolling the North Pacific and served as a staging point for the Japanese attack on the Aleutian Islands in June 1942. In August 1945, it became the central objective of the Soviet invasion of the Kuril Islands and the site of the Battle of Shumshu, the last major land battle of World War II.

Cold War Era (as Baykovo Airfield): After its capture by the Soviet Union, the airfield was renamed Baykovo and became a forward operating base for the Soviet Air Force. It played a crucial role in the air defense of the USSR's Pacific frontier, hosting fighter aircraft to intercept potential intruders from the United States (Alaska) and Japan. It was part of a heavily fortified network of military installations throughout the Kuril Islands.

Effectively zero. There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Bettobi Airfield. The island is uninhabited, the infrastructure is beyond repair, and there is no economic or modern strategic justification for the immense cost of rebuilding a major airfield in such a remote and harsh environment. Any future military interest in the island would likely involve the construction of a new, smaller, more modern facility rather than the restoration of the sprawling, derelict Soviet-era base.