Perekop Airfield

The initial deactivation was due to the large-scale military downsizing and economic changes that occurred after the collapse of the USSR, which saw numerous smaller military airfields abandoned. Its current unavailability for civilian use is due to its complete conversion into a strategic military installation by the Russian Federation following its occupation of the Crimean peninsula.

Since 2014, and particularly since the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Perekop Airfield has been transformed into a major forward operating base for the Russian Armed Forces. It functions primarily as a helicopter base. Analysis of satellite imagery reveals extensive military infrastructure, including dozens of hardened revetments for helicopters, support vehicles, ammunition and fuel depots, and defensive positions. It serves as a key staging point for Russian attack and transport helicopters (such as Ka-52, Mi-28, and Mi-8) supporting military operations in southern Ukraine, especially the Kherson region. The site is an active and heavily fortified military zone.

Historically, Perekop Airfield was a Soviet-era training airfield. It was primarily operated by the DOSAAF (Voluntary Society for Cooperation with the Army, Aviation, and Navy), a paramilitary sports organization, for basic flight training on light aircraft and gliders. Its strategic location on the Isthmus of Perekop, the land bridge connecting Crimea to mainland Ukraine, always gave it potential military significance as a forward staging or dispersal field. After the fall of the Soviet Union, it fell into a state of disrepair and was only occasionally used for agricultural aviation before being effectively abandoned.

There are zero prospects for the airfield to reopen for civilian use in the foreseeable future. Its current role as a critical, active military base in an ongoing conflict zone precludes any civilian activity. The future of the site is entirely dependent on the outcome of the Russo-Ukrainian War and the subsequent geopolitical status of Crimea. Any future use, whether military or civilian, will be determined by post-conflict strategic and political decisions.