‘Mriya’, Ukrainian world’s largest aircraft destroyed by Russian strikes

Recalled that Ukraine and Russia have been at loggerheads for the past few days which has put the residents of both countries in an unrest situations. It has also been reported that citizens of Nigeria in Ukraine have cried for help to be evacuated from the country.

In the midst of this conflict, Ukraine’s Antonov-225 cargo plane, which is the largest plane in the world was destroyed by Russian strikes outside Kyiv on the fourth day of Moscow’s invasion.

Ukroboronprom group said in a statement that, “Russian invaders destroyed the flagship of the Ukrainian aviation, the AN-225” at the Antonov airport in Gostomel near Kyiv.

The aircraft named “Mriya”, which means “dream” in Ukrainian is an aircraft that was unique to the world, it was about 84 meters long (276 feet) and could transport up to 250 tonnes (551,000 pounds) of cargo at a speed of up to 850 kilometres per hour (528 mph).

“This was the world’s largest aircraft, AN-225 ‘Mriya’” Ukraine’ Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on Sunday.

He said, “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!”.

Earlier in the day, it was being speculated that AN-225 has been destroyed, based on a grainy image showing an aircraft in a hanger getting bombed, it is being speculated that the aircraft in the photograph is the legendary AN225, the six-engine cargo plane. Only one aircraft of the model was built by the Antonov aircraft manufacturing company based in Ukraine.

Weapons manufacturer Ukroboronprom estimated that restoring the “Mriya” would cost over $3 billion (2.7 billion euros) and could take over five years.

“Our mission is to ensure that these expenses are covered by Russia, which deliberately inflicted damage on Ukraine’s aviation,” the group said.

Initially built as part of the Soviet aeronautical program, the An-225 made its first flight in 1988.

After years of not flying after the fall of the Soviet Union, the only existing copy made a test flight in 2001 in Gostomel, about 20 kilometres from Kyiv.

It has been operated by Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines for cargo flights and was in high demand during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.