In the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Antonov An-225 “Mriya,” the largest aircraft in the world, was destroyed in a Russian attack on the Antonov Airport near the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
The plane was reported to be 275 feet long with a wingspan stretching 290 feet, could carry 550,000 pounds of cargo, according to the aircraft’s manufacturer, Antonov Co., also makes it the world’s heaviest aircraft. In comparison, the Boeing 747-8, one of the largest commercial planes in use, is 250 feet long with a 224-foot wingspan.
In use since 1988, Mriya was recently used mainly to transport medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ukrainian aerospace and defense company Ukroboronprom confirmed the wreckage in a Feb. 27 Facebook post, saying the plane was undergoing repairs at the airport, so it didn’t have time to flee before the attack.
“The invaders destroyed the plane, but they will not be able to destroy our common dream. She will surely be reborn,” Ukroboronprom wrote.
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According to Usatoday, the company said the plane “will definitely be restored,” estimating it would take more than five years and cost about $3 billion,” (approximately 1,247,160,000,000.00 Naira).
Following the wreckage, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba made a statement on Twitter. He had this to say:
“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!”
As Ukrainian troops guarded the entrance to Antonov Airport to protect the runway, the wreckage of the Mriya could be seen underneath a hangar, pockmarked with holes from the February attack.
See images of the wreckage:
