Tyshkivka Airfield

The primary reason for the closure was the large-scale military downsizing and restructuring of the Ukrainian Armed Forces following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The airbase was considered redundant in the new military doctrine. This was compounded by economic reasons, as the newly independent Ukraine could not afford to maintain the vast number of military installations inherited from the USSR. The resident aviation regiment was disbanded, and its aircraft (MiG-27s) were retired from service, leading to the airfield's abandonment.

The airfield is completely abandoned and in a state of advanced decay. Satellite imagery shows that the concrete slabs of the main runway, taxiways, and aprons have been largely dismantled and removed, likely for salvage as building materials. The distinctive hardened aircraft shelters (HAS) are still standing but are derelict and overgrown with vegetation. The site is not used for any aviation, military, or industrial purposes. Large portions of the former airfield territory have been reclaimed for agricultural use, with crops being cultivated directly on the land where the base once stood.

Tyshkivka was a significant Soviet Air Forces (VVS) military airbase during the Cold War. Its main purpose was to host the 642nd Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (Military Unit 15524), which was part of the 44th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division of the 5th Air Army (Odessa Military District). The regiment initially flew MiG-21 aircraft before transitioning to the more advanced MiG-27K and MiG-27M 'Flogger' variable-sweep ground-attack aircraft. The base, with its hardened aircraft shelters and extensive infrastructure, was a key tactical asset designed to support ground forces in a potential European conflict. After 1991, the regiment and its equipment were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Air Force before being disbanded.

There are no known official plans or credible prospects for reopening Tyshkivka Airfield. The site would require a complete and prohibitively expensive reconstruction of all infrastructure, including the runway, taxiways, and support facilities. Given its remote location, the advanced state of ruin, and Ukraine's focus on modernizing a smaller number of strategically important and active airbases, the reactivation of Tyshkivka is considered economically and militarily unviable.