Shaykovka Air Base (Anisovo Gorodishche)

Shaykovka air base, also known by several other names including Kirov Shaykovka, is a military airfield of the Russian Aerospace Forces located in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, 17 km north of Kirov. The base is owned by the Ministry of Defence and controlled by Long-Range Aviation. It features hangars and an extensive alert area for aircraft. The runway has been extended to 3,000 meters.

The airfield was built by 1937, initially hosting the 13th Separate High-Speed Bomber Aviation Squadron of the Air Forces of the Belorussian Military District with Tupolev SB bombers. Historically, units stationed here included the 73rd Guards Interceptor Aviation Regiment flying Mikoyan MiG-29 aircraft in the 1990s and 2000s, and the 52nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment, which began operating Tupolev Tu-16 bombers and later transitioned to Tupolev Tu-22M aircraft starting in 1982, becoming an Instructor Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment in 1989.

As of 2020, the 52nd Heavy Bomber Regiment of the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Division is reported to be stationed at Shaykovka, operating Tu-22M3 Backfire bombers. In 2021, Tu-22M3 Backfires from the base were forward deployed to Russian bases in Syria for operations and exercises. The base has been involved in the Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war, with Tu-22M3 aircraft returning to Shaykovka after bombing missions in Syria in December 2017. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Tu-22M3 strategic bombers from Shaykovka air base were used to launch missile attacks on Ukrainian targets. The base has also been subjected to drone attacks, including reports of a kamikaze drone attack in October 2022 that destroyed two Tu-22M3 bombers, and a Ukrainian drone attack in May 2025 that caused fires.