Ukrainian officials claim that the world’s largest aircraft, the Anotov AN-225 Mriya, has been destroyed by Russian shelling.
The enormous aircraft, named “Mriya,” or “dream” in Ukrainian, which is the only one of its type in the world – was based at Hostomel airport around an hour’s drive from Kiev.
The airport was attacked early Thursday morning by Russian helicopters and paratroopers, as the invasion of Ukraine continues.
Videos posted on social media appear to show Russian helicopters launching a large air assault operation on Hostomel Airport, with huge plumes of black smoke rising from the ground.
Advertisement
“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!” wrote Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Twitter.
A tweet from the Antonov Company said it could not verify the “technical condition” of the aircraft until it had been inspected by experts.
Advertisement
Check prices and Book Cheap flights and hotels Now
Ukrainian state defence company Ukroboronprom, which manages Antonov, issued a statement saying the aircraft had been destroyed but would be rebuilt at Russia’s expense.
“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.”
Hostomel Airport is a key target for the Russians as it would enable them to fly heavy equipment into the country close to its capital city. As the home of the world’s largest aircraft, almost anything should be able to land at the facility.
The unique aircraft was originally operated from 1988 to 1991 to transport the Buran spacecraft, the Soviet Union’s answer to NASA’s Space Shuttle.
While construction was started on two AN-225’s, only one was ever completed.
The six-engine Anotov An-225 weighs 314 tonnes and has a wingspan of 88 meters.
In 2010, the plane carried the world’s longest piece of air cargo, two 42.1 m (138 ft) test wind turbine blades from Tianjin, China, to Skrydstrup, Denmark.
