Russia-Ukraine war: Mriya, world's biggest cargo plane, destroyed in Ukraine

AN-225 'Mriya,' which means 'Dream' in Ukrainian, was built by Ukrainian aeronautics manufacturer Antonov and qualified as the world's biggest freight aeroplane before being purportedly destroyed by Russian artillery Hostomel Airport near Kyiv.  

The world's largest cargo jet, the AN-225 Mriya, was destroyed by Russian forces, according to Ukraine's state defence corporation Ukroboronprom on Telegram. Ukroboronprom said the aircraft was damaged during a Russian army raid on the Hostomel airfield west of Kyiv on Sunday. According to the report, the plane's restoration will cost more than USD 3 billion and take a lengthy period.

The AN-225 Mriya, created in the 1980s, is the world's longest and heaviest plane. According to the Xinhua news agency, it could hauled up to 640 tonnes of cargo.

AN-225 'Mriya,' which means 'Dream' in Ukrainian, was built by Ukrainian aeronautics manufacturer Antonov and qualified as the world's biggest freight aeroplane before being purportedly destroyed by Russian artillery Hostomel Airport near Kyiv.

"Russia may have annihilated our 'Mriya.' They will, however, never be able to demolish our vision of a robust, free, and democratic European state. We will triumph!" Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, posted on Twitter.

On Friday, Russian forces claimed to have taken control of the Hostomel airstrip, where the AN-225 was based. Maxar Technologies satellite photographs reveal considerable damage to a section of the hangar where the AN-225 is kept. Meanwhile, NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System spotted numerous flames at the airfield, including one in the plane's hangar. According to NASA data acquired from a variety of NOAA and NASA satellites, the fire at the hangar was spotted around 11:13 a.m. on Sunday.

Since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, Russia has started raining cruise missiles down on several Ukrainian cities. On Sunday, a street battle erupted in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, when Ukrainian forces reclaimed city control from Russian troops who had breached its defences.