Dno Air Base

The closure was a direct result of the large-scale military downsizing that occurred following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The resident aviation unit, the 372nd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment, was disbanded in 1993 as part of this reduction of forces. With the end of the Cold War, the strategic need for the base diminished, and it was not economically viable for the newly formed Russian Air Force to maintain it.

The site is completely abandoned and in a state of advanced decay. Satellite imagery and recent photographs show an overgrown concrete runway, crumbling taxiways, and derelict buildings, including hangars, barracks, and administrative structures. The concrete slabs of the runway and aircraft hardstands are being broken up by vegetation and the elements. The former base and its associated military town ('gorodok') are a popular destination for urban explorers and photographers but have no official or functional use. It stands as a decaying relic of the Cold War.

Dno Air Base was a significant Soviet Air Force facility during the Cold War. Its primary role was as a base for fighter-bomber aircraft, positioned to project air power towards NATO territory. From 1952 until its closure, it was the home of the 372nd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (372-й АПИБ). The regiment initially flew fighter aircraft like the MiG-15 and MiG-17 before transitioning to a ground-attack role. Throughout its active years, it operated a series of key Soviet ground-attack aircraft, including the Sukhoi Su-7B, and later the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23B/BM and the advanced MiG-27K. As part of the 76th Air Army, the base was an important element of the Soviet Union's western military posture. The airfield itself has an even earlier history, having been used by both the German Luftwaffe and the Soviet Air Force during World War II due to Dno's strategic importance as a major railway junction.

There are no known official plans or credible prospects for reopening Dno Air Base. The infrastructure is beyond simple repair and would require a complete and extremely costly reconstruction. Given the Russian Federation's existing network of active and more modern military airfields, there is no apparent strategic or economic incentive to reactivate this remote and dilapidated base. Its reopening is considered virtually impossible.