The largest plane in the world, the Ukrainian cargo Antonov-225, was destroyed by Russian blows at an airport near Kiev during fierce fighting, the state group Ukroboronprom announced today.
“The Russian invaders destroyed the jewel of the Ukrainian air force, the An-225” at Antonov airport in Gostomel, where the aircraft was “for repairs,” the group said in a statement.
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
This unique aircraft in the world, which had a length of 84 meters and could carry a cargo of about 250 tons at a speed of up to 850 km / h, was christened “Mriya”, “Dream” in Ukrainian.
“Russia has destroyed our ‘Mriya’. But it will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state. “We will win,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba wrote on Twitter.
The announcement came as Gostomel Airport has been the scene of violent clashes since Thursday, when the Russian military began invading Ukraine and trying to seize this strategically important infrastructure.
Ukroboronprom estimates that the restoration of “Mriya” would cost more than $ 3 billion and would take more than five years.
“Our mission is to act so that these costs are covered by Russia, which deliberately caused damage to the Ukrainian air force,” the group said.
The An-225 was originally built as part of Soviet aeronautical programs, mainly to transport the Buran space shuttle, and made its maiden flight in 1988.
After years of inactivity due to lack of means after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the only existing model of the An-225 made a test flight in 2001 to Gostomel, about 20 kilometers from Kiev.
Since then, it has been operated by the Ukrainian airline Antonov Airlines for cargo flights at the request of its customers, and this aircraft was in great demand, especially at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
