The world’s largest plane, the Antonov-225 cargo plane, was destroyed shortly after the Russian invasion, according to the SBU security agency of Ukraine, which announced Friday that it had detained two former aerospace officials.
The unusual Antonov An-225 aircraft, dubbed “Mriya,” which in Ukrainian means “dream,” was stored in a hangar at the Gostomel Airport outside of Kiev when it was attacked last year. It had a wingspan of 88 meters (290 feet).
Fighting was intense at the airport shortly after the assault began on February 24, 2022, as Russia tried to take control of the hub and use it to fly armaments to Kyiv.
In the initial stages of Moscow’s assault, the Mriya plane was destroyed. During the pandemic in 2020, it had been used to fly medicinal supplies from China into the country.
The SBU claims that senior members of the aircraft’s manufacturer, Antonov Defence Company, prevented Ukrainian troops from defending the airfield before the invasion.
“According to the investigation, on the eve of the full-scale invasion, the officials did not allow the National Guard of Ukraine to enter the territory of the Gostomel airport to prepare for its defence,” the SBU said in a statement.
The SBU claimed that in January and February, officials from Antonov forbade the Ukrainian military from erecting protective fortifications on the airport and forbade them from entering.
According to the SBU, a former deputy director general of the Antonov state enterprise “is presently evading justice,” while the two other accused—the former director general and head of the aviation security unit—have been placed in custody.
If found guilty of obstructing the Ukrainian armed forces’ legal operations, they could spend up to 15 years in jail.
