Simushir North Airfield

The primary reason for the closure was the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent economic collapse of the Russian Federation. The new government lacked the financial resources and strategic imperative to maintain such a remote, expensive, and logistically complex military outpost. The entire military town and naval facility, which supported the airfield, were systematically de-funded and ultimately abandoned, with all personnel and their families being evacuated.

The site is completely abandoned and in a state of advanced decay. It is a ghost town and a stark relic of the Cold War. Satellite imagery and reports from explorers and tourists show that the runway is fractured, overgrown, and unusable. The hangars, barracks, apartment blocks, and other infrastructure are collapsing and being reclaimed by the harsh subarctic environment. Rusted military vehicles and other equipment are scattered throughout the site. The former base is now an occasional destination for adventure tourism, expedition cruises, and urban explorers interested in Soviet-era ruins.

Simushir North Airfield was part of a top-secret and highly strategic Soviet military installation known by the codename 'Ostrov-5' (Island-5). Established in the late 1970s, its purpose was to serve as a forward operating base for the Soviet Pacific Fleet during the Cold War. The base was uniquely situated inside the Brouton Caldera, a flooded volcanic crater that formed a perfectly sheltered, deep-water harbor (Brouton Bay). This harbor was used as a secret base for Soviet nuclear submarines. The airfield, with its concrete runway approximately 2,400 meters (7,900 ft) long, supported naval aviation assets, likely for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) patrols, maritime reconnaissance, and logistical support for the isolated base. The entire complex, including a town that housed up to 3,000 personnel and their families, represented a significant projection of Soviet military power in the North Pacific.

There are no official, concrete plans for reopening the airfield or the associated naval base. In 2016, amid Russia's broader remilitarization of the Kuril Islands, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu mentioned that the military was studying the possibility of restoring the base on Simushir. However, this has not materialized into any actual construction or deployment. The immense cost of clearing, decontaminating, and completely rebuilding the infrastructure from scratch in such a remote location makes a full-scale revival highly improbable. The Russian military has instead focused its resources on upgrading and developing bases on more accessible islands like Iturup and Kunashir. Therefore, the prospects for reopening Simushir North Airfield are considered extremely low.