LONDON – In a war that has already taken so much from so many, it now appears that the world’s largest and only cargo carrier of its type the AN225 “Mriya” is suspected of having been destroyed in the latest wave of attacks on the airfield where it is being stored. Reporting is varied in its accuracy at this time, but no official confirmation on the condition of the aircraft has been shared.
At around 13:00 Ukraine Local time, the Antonov Company reshared the post that it made on February 25 where it stated that the latest information that had was that the aircraft was intact and safe. You can see this tweet below:
We don’t have accurate information about #AN225 Mriya. Now in Gostomel (it is the region where airfield base @AntonovAirlines) still fighting continues.
— ANTONOV Company 🇺🇦 (@AntonovCompany) February 25, 2022
according to the latest information (24.02.2022) the plane was intact
However, as more reports continue to flood in about the potential fate of the cargo aircraft, the Antonov company said: “Please wait for the official statement”, which is a possible indication that the reports coming out right now are true.
We are still awaiting confirmation from The Antonov Company, however, in the last 30 minutes Dymtro Kuleba has made a statement on Twitter saying that Russia may have destroyed the An225 ‘Mriya’ but it will never destroy their dream of a strong, free, and democratic European state. Perhaps this is the closest thing we will get today on any official comments about the aircraft’s current state, but as of right now it doesn’t seem that the AN225 will grace the skies of not just Europe but the world in the near future.
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
In the last few moments now, the Ukrainian government has officially announced that the AN-225, the world’s largest cargo aircraft has been destroyed by Russia in the latest attacks made on the airfield near Kyiv.
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. pic.twitter.com/Gy6DN8E1VR
— Ukraine / Україна (@Ukraine) February 27, 2022
The Ukraine government has said they plan to rebuild the aircraft in a tweet on their official Twitter Account.
Rumours are also circulating that the Antonov AN22 has also been destroyed or damaged, however, there has been no confirmation of this. In a video posted to their YouTube channel, AirClips reports Antonov AN26, AN74 and AN28 have been destroyed. Additionally, one AN124 has been destroyed.
Antonov Airlines have said the aircraft has been inspected by experts, however, they cannot report on the condition of the aircraft. A further official announcement is expected soon.
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.
— ANTONOV Company 🇺🇦 (@AntonovCompany) February 27, 2022
Stay tuned for further official announcement.#StopRussia #StopRussiaAggression #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/EHyHVFJJXc
Please continue to follow this developing news story!