Ukraine-made World's Largest Plane Mriya Destroyed

Reports have come in that the world’s largest cargo aircraft, the Antonov AN-225 or ‘Mriya’ which means Dream in Ukrainian, was destroyed by Russian troops during an attack on an airport near Kyiv,  in ongoing Russia- Ukraine conflict, authorities announced Monday.

According to Ukrainian officials, the plane was extensively damaged after Russian troops entered a Ukrainian airbase in Hostomel, where the aircraft was parked for repairs.

 “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,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. On Friday, Russia claimed it had captured the Hostomel airfield, where the AN-225 was under repair.

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

Russia has hit the Mriya as a symbol of Ukraine’s aviation capabilities,” Ukraine’s state-run defence manufacturer Ukroboronprom, which manages the Antonov Company, announced on Sunday.

According to a CNN report, satellite images of the air field show significant damage to the hangar in which the plane is located. Meanwhile, Antonov Company, in a statement, said that it still “ cannot report on the technical condition of the aircraft, and that only after examining the extent of damage can they declare it to be destroyed.

😨 NO NO NO NO…

Currently, until the #AN225 has been inspected by experts, we cannot report on the technical condition of the aircraft.

Please wait for the official announcements about the condition of the aircraft#StopRussia #Ukraine https://t.co/pEXDanePTw

— ANTONOV Company 🇺🇦 (@AntonovCompany) March 3, 2022

As per reports in the Siyasat , the AN-225 aircraft had landed at the Hyderabad International Airport in the year  2016  for a technical stopover. The AN-225 arrived from Turkmenbashi in Central Asia into Hyderabad en route to Jakarta in Indonesia and finally to Perth in Australia. It was reportedly carrying some cargo for the Reliance Industries Group. Locals thronged to the airport to have a glimpse of the world’s biggest aircraft admiring its sheer size and spectacle. The Anatonov also attracts spectators whenever it lands in different cities after it started flying in 1988. The Antonov-225 was undergoing scheduled maintenance at the Hostomel Airport in Kyiv after it arrived from Denmark on February 5 when it was reported to have been damaged due to Russian bombing.

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