Ostrov Air Base (Veretie)

Ostrov, also known as Veretie, is a Russian Aerospace Forces air base located 7 km southeast of Ostrov and 57 km south of Pskov in Pskov Oblast, Russia. The airfield was built in 1940 and was initially used as summer camps. By June 1941, the 158th Fighter Aviation Regiment, armed with Polikarpov I-16 and Yakovlev Yak-1 aircraft, was based there. During World War II, the airfield was utilized by German aviation.

In 1953, the 12th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment, part of the 116th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division, was redeployed to Veretie airfield, operating Tupolev Tu-4 aircraft. This division was formed for the development of the KS-1 Komet anti-ship missile system. In 1960, the 12th Heavy Aviation Regiment was transferred to the Baltic Fleet Air Force and renamed the 12th Naval Missile-carrying Aviation Regiment. It operated Tupolev Tu-16Ks and Tu-16Zs until its disbandment in 1989. The 240th Naval Missile-carrying Regiment, also flying Tupolev Tu-16s, was disbanded in 1991 but reformed in 1995 as the 240th Guards Research-Instructor Mixed Aviation Regiment, operating Sukhoi Su-24 and Tupolev Tu-22M3s.

Following the dissolution of the USSR, the 444th Center for Combat Employment and Retraining of Personnel Naval Aviation was formed at Ostrov in 1994 to serve as a training center for the Russian Navy's Air Force. This center included the 240th Guards Mixed Aviation Regiment, which operated a variety of aircraft including Tupolev Tu-154M, Tu-142, Tu-134UBL, Tu-134UBC, Tu-22M3, Ilyushin Il-38, Sukhoi Su-24M, Beriev Be-12, Antonov An-26, Ilyushin Il-18, and Aero L-39 Albatros. The 444th combat use center was disbanded in 2009, with some equipment transferred to Yeysk.

Since 2013, the Veretie airfield has been under the authority of the 6th Air and Air Defence Forces Army. The base is currently home to the 15th Army Aviation Brigade, which was formed in 2013. This brigade operates modern helicopters including Ka-52, Mi-28N, Mi-35M, Mi-26, and Mi-8 MTV-5.