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Russia DESTROYS world's largest cargo plane AN-225 'Mriya', Ukraine vows to rebuild it

Mriya had a wingspan longer than the Wright brothers’ first flight craft, and had a nose-to-tail length of more than 270 feet

The Antonov AN-225 Mriya, the world’s largest cargo aircraft, has been destroyed due to Russian shelling on an airfield near Kyiv, Ukrainian officials have confirmed. Previous reports by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and state arms manufacturer Ukroboronprom had also claimed that the aircraft had been destroyed. 

In a Twitter post, the official Twitter account for the government of Ukraine said, "The biggest plane in the world "Mriya" (The Dream) was destroyed by Russian occupants on an airfield near Kyiv. We will rebuild the plane. We will fulfill our dream of a strong, free, and democratic Ukraine." A satellite photo shared by Radio Svoboda, an affiliate of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, appeared to show the plane ablaze.

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'Mriya' translates to 'dream' or 'inspiration'. The huge jet boasted a wingspan longer than the Wright brothers’ first flight craft. It had a nose-to-tail length of more than 270 feet, and had a maximum take-off weight of more than 640,000 kilograms, Antonov Airlines says. The plane was built during the 1970s and ’80s.

Ukroboronprom said in a statement, "Russia has hit the Mriya as a symbol of Ukraine’s aviation capabilities. AN-225 "Mriya" — avian giant, which holds records for transportation of biggest commercial cargo and longest and heaviest in the history of aviation monoloading, lifting capacity. Unfortunately, these options are lost today, however they will be definitely restored. The occupiers destroyed the airplane, but they won’t be able to destroy our common dream. Mriya will definitely be reborn. The restoration is estimated to take over 3 bln USD and over 5 years. 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."

"Russia has destroyed our "Mriya" ( laterally translated as “lathe “dream”), but the dream of Ukraine to get free from the occupier cannot be destroyed. We will fight for our land and our home until we win. And after the victory, we will definitely finish our new "Mriya", which has been waiting for this in a safe place for many years. Everything will be Ukraine!” Yuriy Husyev said, General Director of Ukroboronprom." "At the time of invasion, the AN-225 Mriya was under repair at Gostomel Airport, so it did not have time to leave Ukraine," the statement added. 

However, the Antonov Company, which is managed by Ukroboronprom, did not confirm the plane's destruction. "Update on the information of #AN225 "Mriya" aircraft: Currently, until the AN-225 has been inspected by experts, we cannot report on the technical condition of the aircraft. Stay tuned for further official announcement," it tweeted.