Onega Andozero Air Base

The air base was closed due to the large-scale military reorganization and budget cuts that followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The specific event that led to its closure was the disbandment of the aviation regiment stationed there, the 445th Fighter Aviation Regiment, in 1994.

The air base is completely abandoned and in a state of advanced decay. Satellite imagery shows the concrete runway and taxiways are cracked, broken, and being reclaimed by forest and vegetation. Most of the support infrastructure, including hangars, revetments, and administrative buildings, are either in ruins or have been completely dismantled. The site is derelict and shows no signs of any aviation-related activity. Some anecdotal reports suggest that parts of the former base have been repurposed by local enterprises for non-aviation uses, such as logging operations or a sawmill, with concrete slabs from the airfield being reused.

Onega Andozero was a significant Cold War air base for the Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO). Its primary purpose was to defend the northern airspace of the USSR against potential incursions by Western bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. It was strategically located to protect key industrial and military centers in the Arkhangelsk Oblast, including the major naval and submarine base at Severodvinsk. The base was home to the 445th Fighter Aviation Regiment (445-й иап), which operated long-range interceptor aircraft. Initially, the regiment flew Yak-28P 'Firebar' interceptors. Later, it was famously equipped with the Tupolev Tu-128 'Fiddler', the largest and heaviest fighter aircraft ever to enter service. The Tu-128 was specifically designed to patrol the vast, sparsely populated expanses of Siberia and the Arctic, making Andozero a crucial component of the USSR's northern air defense shield.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Onega Andozero Air Base. The facility is in a state of extreme disrepair, and the cost to restore the runway, taxiways, and essential infrastructure to operational standards would be prohibitive. Given its remote location and the changed strategic landscape since the Cold War, there is no apparent military or civilian need for an airfield at this location that would justify such an investment. It is considered permanently closed.