Karankut Air Base

The air base was closed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. After its transfer to Ukrainian jurisdiction, the resident aviation regiment was disbanded as part of a massive post-Soviet military downsizing. The newly independent Ukraine could not economically sustain the large number of military bases inherited from the USSR, and Karankut was deemed redundant.

The site is completely abandoned and in a state of advanced dereliction. Satellite imagery confirms that the runway, taxiways, and aircraft hardstands are crumbling and heavily overgrown. Most of the base's infrastructure, including hangars and administrative buildings, are in ruins or have been completely dismantled, with materials reportedly scavenged for local construction over the decades. The site is not used for any aviation or official military purposes and remains a relic of the Cold War.

Karankut Air Base, also known as Volnoye or Dzhankoy-2, was a significant Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO) installation during the Cold War. It was primarily the home of the 933rd Fighter Aviation Regiment (933 IAP). The regiment's main task was to provide air defense for the strategically important Crimean peninsula and the southern flank of the USSR. Over its operational history, the regiment flew various interceptor aircraft, including the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19, the Yakovlev Yak-28P, and finally the Sukhoi Su-15TM 'Flagon'. The base was a key component of the region's air defense network.

There are no known official plans or credible prospects for reopening Karankut Air Base. While Russia has reactivated and modernized several other Soviet-era military facilities in Crimea since 2014, Karankut's severe state of disrepair and the proximity of other active airfields (such as the main Dzhankoi Air Base located just 15 km to the north) make its restoration economically and strategically unviable. It is expected to remain abandoned.