Gastello Airfield

Military base closure following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The stationed aviation regiment, the 528th Fighter Aviation Regiment, was disbanded as part of a large-scale reduction of the Russian Armed Forces. With the unit gone, the airfield lost its strategic purpose and was abandoned due to lack of funding and operational need.

The airfield is completely abandoned and in a state of advanced decay. Satellite imagery confirms that the main runway, taxiways, and numerous hardened aircraft shelters (revetments) are still intact but are severely degraded, cracked, and overgrown with vegetation. The adjacent military town (garnizon) and support buildings are largely in ruins, with many structures having collapsed roofs. The site is not used for any official or civilian purpose and is slowly being reclaimed by nature.

Gastello Airfield was a significant Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO) forward operating base during the Cold War. Its strategic location on Sakhalin Island made it a crucial component of the USSR's Far Eastern air defense network. The base primarily hosted the 528th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Military Unit No. 45142), which was part of the 11th Independent Air Defence Army. The regiment operated interceptor aircraft, including the Sukhoi Su-15TM and later the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23MLD. The primary mission of units at Gastello was to intercept potential intruders, such as US reconnaissance aircraft and bombers operating from bases in Japan, protecting Sakhalin Island and strategic naval facilities in the region.

None known. There are no official government or military plans to reopen or reactivate Gastello Airfield. The cost of restoring the heavily deteriorated infrastructure, including the runway, taxiways, and support facilities, would be prohibitive. Any military expansion in the region would likely focus on modernizing existing, active airfields rather than rebuilding a derelict one.