Albania unveils refurbished NATO airbase in ‘Stalin city’, move likely to irk Moscow

The Balkan nation of Albania on Monday (Mar 4) unveiled a refurbished airbase to be used by the NATO alliance, a move expected to irk Moscow.

The airbase is located in an Albanian city formerly named after Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. The base once housed dozens of Soviet- and Chinese-made planes left for years to rust in the open air.

The new NATO airbase in ‘Stalin city’ doesn’t only show Albania’s shift towards the West but also highlights NATO’s expanding footprints in southeast Europe as tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine rattle the region.

Kucova transforms into a NATO-backed facility

While inaugurating the base, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama stressed that the importance of the base “extended beyond Albania’s borders”.

Italian Eurofighters and US F-16s and F-35s staged a flyover before landing on the new runaway during the event attended by NATO representatives and diplomats.