Kakumabetsu Airfield

The primary reason for closure was economic and strategic. After the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR, Russia underwent a massive military downsizing. Remote and expensive-to-maintain bases like this one on Paramushir Island were de-prioritized. The military units were disbanded or relocated, and the airfield was abandoned due to a lack of strategic necessity and the prohibitive cost of maintenance.

The site is completely abandoned and in a state of ruin. Satellite imagery and reports from the few visitors to the area show a decaying concrete runway, crumbling taxiways, and the skeletal remains of hangars, barracks, and other military buildings from both the Japanese and Soviet eras. The airfield is a popular destination for military history enthusiasts and photographers exploring the 'battlefield archaeology' of Paramushir Island. It is littered with military scrap and artifacts from WWII and the Cold War. It serves no official or practical purpose and is inaccessible for any form of aviation.

The airfield has significant dual-era military history.

**Japanese Era (as Kashiwabara Airfield):** Originally built by the Empire of Japan before and during World War II, it was a key Imperial Japanese Army Air Force base. It was one of the main airfields on Paramushir Island, a heavily fortified Japanese stronghold. The base housed fighter units, most notably the 54th Sentai equipped with Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa 'Oscar' fighters. From here, Japan launched air operations during the Aleutian Islands Campaign and defended the Kuril Islands against US bombing raids originating from the Aleutians.

**Soviet/Russian Era:** After the Soviet Union invaded and annexed the Kuril Islands in August 1945, the Red Army took control of the airfield. During the Cold War, it was repurposed as a forward operating base for the Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO). It served as a strategic outpost, hosting interceptor aircraft (such as variants of the MiG fighter jets) to patrol the sensitive maritime border with the United States (Alaska) and counter potential intrusions by US aircraft.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening the old Kakumabetsu Airfield. The infrastructure is too degraded, and its location and orientation may not be suitable for modern aviation standards. Instead of refurbishing this historic site, the Russian government has been constructing a completely new, modern civilian airport for Severo-Kurilsk at a different location on Paramushir Island. This new airport project is intended to provide reliable, all-weather passenger and cargo connections for the island's residents, making the revival of the old, derelict Kakumabetsu airfield both unnecessary and economically unfeasible.