Russia turning Kerch airport in Crimea into military base, may launch Shahed drones from there
The Kerch airport, located in the east of occupied Crimea, is being converted from a civilian to a military facility, according to data from the Russian property registry and satellite images from Planet Labs.
Source: Skhemy, a Radio Liberty project
Details: Registry documents indicate that on 4 March 2025, the Russian authorities granted indefinite use of part of the airport's land to Russia's Ministry of Defence.
Satellite images taken in February and June 2025 show new construction, including protective and camouflage structures around the runway. Planet Labs satellite photos indicate that the redevelopment of the Kerch airport is ongoing.
The Kerch airport as of 5 June 2025.
Photo: Skhemy
Experts suggest these facilities could be used to house equipment related to unmanned aerial vehicles or air defence systems.
Aviation expert Anatolii Khrapchynskyi, to whom the images were shown by journalists, pointed to the size of the camouflage shelters, noting they could potentially serve as technical bases for UAVs or house air defence systems such as the Pantsir-S1 or Tor-M2.
"These could be platforms for launching or assembling drones, as well as positions for air defence systems," Khrapchynskyi said.
He also noted that the runway's characteristics make it suitable for drone launches.
The Kerch airport as of 5 June 2025.
Photo: Skhemy
Previously, the airport area had been used as a parking zone for freight vehicles awaiting ferry transport. However, in March 2025, this facility was relocated, officially explained as a "reorganisation of the company's operations".
The last regular passenger flight from the Kerch airport took place in 2007.
Background: On the night of 8-9 June, Ukrainian Special Operations Forces, in coordination with other defence forces units, carried out a strike on the Savasleyka airfield in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.
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