Simushir Heliport

The facility was closed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The primary reasons were the severe economic crisis in post-Soviet Russia, drastic cuts in military spending, and a re-evaluation of its strategic necessity in the post-Cold War era. The Russian government could no longer afford to maintain such a remote, complex, and costly military installation.

The heliport and the entire military town of Kraternyy are completely abandoned and in a state of advanced decay. The site is a ghost town featuring derelict apartment blocks, a school, rusting military hardware, and crumbling infrastructure. The helicopter landing pads and the short runway are overgrown with vegetation and are unusable. The island is uninhabited and is occasionally visited by scientific expeditions, urban explorers, photographers, and military patrols. It stands as a prominent and well-documented example of a derelict Cold War-era military installation.

The heliport was not a standalone facility but an integral part of a top-secret Soviet naval base located in Brouton Bay (code-named 'Olenya Guba'). Established in the late 1970s, the base was a significant Cold War outpost designed to secretly house and service Soviet Pacific Fleet submarines, hidden from satellite surveillance within the island's natural volcanic caldera. The heliport, along with a small airstrip, was the critical logistical lifeline for the base, which housed up to 3,000 military personnel and their families in the adjacent town of Kraternyy. It handled the transport of personnel, high-value cargo, mail, and provided essential medical evacuation capabilities, connecting the isolated garrison to the mainland and other military centers in the Russian Far East.

While there are no confirmed, active plans to reopen this specific heliport for regular operations, the Russian Federation has been undergoing a strategic remilitarization of the Kuril Islands since the mid-2010s. The Ministry of Defence has publicly discussed restoring military infrastructure on the islands, including Simushir. While the primary focus has recently been on developing new, modern bases on the nearby islands of Matua and Iturup, the possibility of re-establishing a naval observation post or a logistical point at Brouton Bay remains a strategic option for the Russian military. Any future use would be exclusively military; there are no known prospects for civilian reopening due to the island's extreme remoteness and harsh environment.