Lenino Air Base

The air base was closed following the disbandment of its resident aviation regiment as part of the massive military downsizing, budget cuts, and strategic restructuring that occurred in the Russian Armed Forces after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The site is completely abandoned and in an advanced state of decay. Satellite imagery clearly shows a derelict facility. The main runway and extensive network of taxiways are cracked, weathered, and being reclaimed by vegetation. The numerous hardened aircraft shelters (HAS) and support buildings are crumbling. The base is a non-operational relic of the Cold War and is not used for any military or civilian purpose.

Lenino Air Base was a significant Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO) facility during the Cold War. It was the home base for the 865th Fighter Aviation Regiment (865 IAP). This regiment operated a squadron of Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23ML/MLD 'Flogger-G/K' interceptor aircraft. The primary mission of the base and its regiment was the air defense of the strategically vital Kamchatka Peninsula, which houses the main base of the Russian Pacific Fleet in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The fighters from Lenino were tasked with intercepting US bombers and reconnaissance aircraft that might approach Soviet airspace from Alaska and the North Pacific.

There are no known official plans or credible prospects for reopening Lenino Air Base. The entire infrastructure, including the runway, taxiways, and buildings, is in a state of complete disrepair and would require a full, and extremely costly, reconstruction. The Russian military operates other active and modernized air bases in the Kamchatka region, such as Yelizovo Airport (UHPP), making the restoration of this abandoned site strategically and economically unfeasible.