Beryozovka Air Base

Military restructuring and budget reductions following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The strategic threat assessment changed after the Cold War, leading to the consolidation of air assets and the disbandment of numerous regiments, including the one at Pechora.

The airfield (Pechora Airport, ICAO: UUYP) remains active and serves a dual purpose. It handles civilian passenger flights connecting the city of Pechora. Militarily, the base is maintained as a 'forward deployment base' or 'aerodrom podskoka' for the Russian Aerospace Forces. This means that while no combat unit is permanently stationed there, its infrastructure is kept ready to receive and operate military aircraft for exercises, patrols, or operational deployments in the Arctic region. The nearby Pechora Radar Station, a critical component of Russia's missile early-warning system, underscores the area's continued strategic importance.

Pechora Kamenka was a key strategic interceptor base for the Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO) during the Cold War. Its primary mission was to defend the USSR's northern airspace against intrusion by US strategic bombers (like the B-52) and reconnaissance aircraft (like the SR-71) coming over the Arctic. The base was home to the 174th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. This elite unit was among the first to be equipped with advanced interceptors, including the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 'Foxbat' in the 1970s and later the Mikoyan MiG-31 'Foxhound' in the 1980s, which were the fastest and highest-flying interceptors of their era.

There are no official, publicly announced plans to permanently re-establish a full fighter aviation regiment at Pechora Kamenka. However, given Russia's increasing military focus on the Arctic, the base is periodically used for military drills and could see increased activity. A full-scale reopening with a permanent unit remains a possibility dependent on future geopolitical and strategic considerations, but it is not currently planned.