Russian Forces Destroy World’s Largest Plane ‘Mriya’ in Ukraine

The An-225 Mriya, designed in the 1980s, is the longest and the heaviest airplane ever built. It was capable of carrying up to 640 tons of cargo.

Author: India.com News Desk Edited by: Rajashree Seal

Published: February 28, 2022, 7:56 AM IST

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To this day, Mriya remains the heaviest aircraft ever built.

Kyiv: On the fourth day of Moscow’s invasion in Ukraine on Sunday, the largest plane in the world — Ukraine’s Antonov-225 cargo plane was destroyed by Russian strikes outside Kyiv, said Ukraine’s state defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom said on Telegram. Issuing a statement, the group said, “Russian invaders destroyed the flagship of the Ukrainian aviation, the AN-225” at the Antonov airport in Gostomel near Kyiv, the group said in a statement.

Taking to Twitter, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted an image of the Antonov-225 and wrote, “This was the world’s largest aircraft, AN-225 ‘Mriya’ (‘Dream’ in Ukrainian). Russia may have destroyed our ‘Mriya’. But they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state. We shall prevail!”

This was the world’s largest aircraft, AN-225 ‘Mriya’ (‘Dream’ in Ukrainian). Russia may have destroyed our ‘Mriya’. But they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state. We shall prevail! pic.twitter.com/TdnBFlj3N8

— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) February 27, 2022

Meanwhile, there has been no independent confirmation of the aircraft’s destruction. A tweet from the Antonov Company said it could not verify the “technical condition” of the aircraft until it had been inspected by experts.

Ukrainian state defense company Ukroboronprom, which manages Antonov, on Sunday issued a statement saying the aircraft had been destroyed but would be rebuilt at Russia’s expense — a cost is put at $3 billion. “The restoration is estimated to take over 3 billion USD and over five years,” the statement said. “Our task is to ensure that these costs are covered by the Russian Federation, which has caused intentional damage to Ukraine’s aviation and the air cargo sector.

In a later statement, the company said the airplane had been in on the ground near Kyiv on February 24 undergoing maintenance. “According to the director of Antonov Airlines, one of the engines was dismantled for repairs and the plane wasn’t able to take off that day, although the appropriate commands were given,” it said.

About the Antonov-225 cargo plane

The aircraft was unique to the world, at 84 meters long (276 feet) it could transport up to 250 tons (551,000 pounds) of cargo at a speed of up to 850 kilometers per hour (528 mph). It had been named “Mriya,” which means “Dream” in Ukrainian.  The An-225 Mriya, designed in the 1980s, is the longest and the heaviest airplane ever built. It was capable of carrying up to 640 tons of cargo. Powered by six turbofan engines, the cargo plane has a maximum payload weight of 250 tonnes, which can be carried inside or on its back. It boasts the largest wingspan of any airplane in operational service.

As per reports, only one An-225 was ever built by the Kyiv-based Antonov company, which came up with the design. It first took flight in 1988 and has been in service ever since. Construction was begun on a second plane, but it was never finished.