Bagerovo Air Base

The closure was a direct result of the dissolution of the USSR. The base's primary strategic purpose, which was to support the Soviet nuclear weapons testing program, became obsolete for Ukraine, which declared itself a non-nuclear state. Furthermore, the immense economic cost of maintaining such a large and highly specialized facility was prohibitive for the newly independent Ukrainian military.

The site is completely abandoned and in a state of ruin. After its closure, the airfield's infrastructure, including its massive concrete runway slabs, taxiways, and many of its buildings, was systematically dismantled by local residents and businesses for use as construction materials and for scrap metal throughout the 2000s and early 2010s. Current satellite imagery shows a derelict site with only the faint outlines of the former runway and taxiways visible. The area is overgrown and is not used for any aviation, military, or significant commercial purpose.

Bagerovo Air Base was a top-secret and strategically vital facility for the Soviet Air Force, officially known as the 71st Ground-based Test Site. Its most critical role was serving as the primary center for the Soviet nuclear weapons program's aviation component from the late 1940s. It was here that the air-drop delivery systems for the first Soviet atomic and subsequent thermonuclear bombs were tested. The base hosted a branch of the Chkalov State Flight Test Center (the 9th Directorate), which trained crews from the Long-Range Aviation fleet (using bombers like the Tu-4, Tu-16, Tu-95, and Tu-22) on the procedures for handling and dropping nuclear munitions (using inert mock-ups). The airfield featured an exceptionally large and robust runway, approximately 3.5 km long and 80-100 meters wide, designed to accommodate any aircraft in the Soviet inventory, and was also designated as an alternate landing site for the Buran space shuttle.

There are no credible or active plans for reopening the air base. Following the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, some Russian officials made speculative statements about the possibility of restoring former Soviet airfields, including Bagerovo, for military or dual-use (military/civilian) purposes. However, these ideas were never pursued. The prohibitive cost of rebuilding the entire infrastructure from scratch, combined with a lack of strategic or economic necessity (especially after the construction of the Crimean Bridge), means that the prospects for reopening are effectively zero. Russia has focused its resources on upgrading other existing, viable airfields in Crimea.