Ukraine’s Antonov-225 cargo plane which is referred to as the largest plane in the world was destroyed by Russian strikes outside Kyiv on the fourth day of the invasion.
This was confirmed by Ukraine’s state-owned Ukroboronprom group.
The aircraft was unique to the world, at 84 meters long (276 feet) it could transport up to 250 tonnes (551,000 pounds) of cargo at a speed of up to 850 kilometers per hour (528 mph). It was named “Mriya”, which means “dream” in Ukrainian.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted “Russian invaders destroyed the flagship of the Ukrainian aviation, the AN-225” at the Antonov airport in Gostomel near Kyiv, the group said in a statement.
“This was the world’s largest aircraft, AN-225 ‘Mriya’”
“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!”
Gostomel airport has seen violent clashes since the start of Russia’s invasion, launched by President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
