Russia converting civilian airport in Crimea into military base, likely for drone launches

The Schemes reported the information.

According to the Russian state real estate registry and analysis of satellite images by Schemes (Radio Liberty), the Kerch airport was converted from a civilian to a military facility in March 2025. Large-scale work is underway at the airfield, presumably to enable the launch of UAVs against mainland Ukraine.

Satellite photos show that the conversion of the airport is still ongoing. Analysis of images from February and June 2025, obtained from the Estonian publication Delfi, revealed new fortifications and camouflage structures around the runway.

"Most likely, this is a technical base intended for the assembly, storage, and launch of UAVs. The camouflage structures, about 12 by 9 meters in size, are suitable for sheltering equipment, UAV assembly areas, as well as for air defense systems like the Pantsir-S1 or Tor-M2, which fit perfectly within these dimensions and can create an air defense system for the site," explained aviation expert Anatolii Khrapchynskyi, who was shown the images by journalists. 

The expert noted that air defense system pads have appeared at the airfield, and the runway, which has not changed, is already long enough for drone launches.

The change in status of the Kerch airport from civilian to military is also confirmed by data from the Russian state registry. It is reported that on March 4, 2025, the occupation authorities transferred part of the airfield’s territory to the Russian Ministry of Defense for indefinite use.

• On June 1, the Ukrainian Security Service conducted a large-scale operation called Spider's Web, during which 40 Russian bombers were destroyed.