Ukraine's Antonov AN-225 Mriya Airplane: Russia 'Destroys' World's Largest Plane

Ukrainian officials said the world's largest airplane, the Antonov AN-225, was destroyed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, causing fear and regret in the aviation industry, where it enjoys nearly cult status.

The massive airplane, known in Ukrainian as "Mriya," or "dream," was parked at an airfield near Kyiv when "Russian occupants" destroyed the plane, according to Ukrainian officials in a tweet.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter: "Russia may have destroyed our 'Mriya,' but they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state."

Antonov AN-225 Destroyed During Russia-Ukraine Crisis

There has been no independent confirmation that the aircraft was shot down. The Antonov Company claimed in a tweet that it couldn't confirm the plane's "technical condition" until it was evaluated by specialists.

Ukroboronprom, the Ukrainian state military firm that operates Antonov, said on Sunday in a statement that the plane had been damaged but that it will be rebuilt at Russia's expense at a cost of $3 billion.

In a separate release, the business then said that the plane had been undergoing repair on the ground near Kyiv on February 24.

According to the director of Antonov Airlines, one of the engines was disassembled for maintenance. The airline company added that the jet could not take off that day, despite the required directives being provided.

How AN-225 Was Destroyed

The Drive said footage posted on social media recently shows clouds of black smoke rising as Russian Mi-8 helicopters pass overhead near Hostomel Airport, where Mriya is based.

Ukrainian officials verified that Russia had taken control of the airport, according to Christopher Miller of BuzzFeed.

On the ground at the airport, CNN's Matthew Chance (via White House reporter Natasha Bertrand) said the commander of the Russian airborne team verified to him that the airport had been taken over.

According to Reuters, Ukrainian officials claimed to have shot down three Russian helicopters as they assaulted the airport. There are also allegations that the airport's runway has been damaged, although these have yet to be confirmed.

History of AN-225

Space.com said AN-225, with its 290-foot (88.4-meter) wingspan, has been in service since 1985, when it was designed to replace and complement smaller aircraft in the delivery of Energia rocket boosters and Buran-class space shuttle orbiters to their launch sites.

The AN-225 carried the winged spacecraft piggyback, similar to but considerably bigger than the modified Boeing 747 jetliners that served as NASA's two Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

Only one of the two AN-225 aircraft started development before the Soviet Union came apart in 1991. After only one uncrewed test flight in 1988, the Buran program was discontinued two years later.

The AN-225 was brought back into service as a heavy-lift freight plane after spending several years in storage.

The AN-225 was also utilized to bring emergency supplies to disaster relief zones, in addition to flying cargoes that were previously too large to convey by air. Most recently, the plane was utilized to transport medical supplies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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