@photostoryclub: These photographs document the remains of the former Smirnykh military airfield located on Sakhalin Island. The site began as a Japanese imperial airfield known as Keton in the early twentieth century. After 1945 it was rebuilt and expanded to serve as the base of the 528th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Soviet Air Force. In 1966 the runway was extended to approximately 2,500 meters and reinforced concrete arched shelters were added. These shelters were designed to protect aircraft and allow rapid dispersal in a fan-shaped pattern, a common layout at Soviet border airbases during the Cold War. The regiment remained active until it was disbanded in 1994. Most of the aircraft were transferred to other bases, while two MiG-23s (one combat and one trainer version) were left inside the shelters. Today the hangars and concrete taxiways stand among birch forests, partially covered by leaves and vegetation after decades of abandonment. The airframes of the two aircraft have deteriorated under the effects of weather and neglect. The site stands as a tangible example of Soviet military infrastructure left behind after the dissolution of the USSR, transformed from an operational facility into quiet ruins within the natural landscape.

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