This week, it emerged that the Antonov AN-225 Mriya could have been saved from the effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Such information has been released by the Ukrainian Security Service, where criminal charges are to be placed against the former general director of the Antonov State Enterprise.
The AN-225 Mriya Was In “Proper Technical Condition”…
The SBU said the following on the “proper technical condition” of the Antonov AN-225 Mriya in Gostomel:
“During the investigation, it was established that at the beginning of last year, the head of the state-owned enterprise had to organize the timely evacuation of the aircraft from the Gostomel airfield.”
“To ensure the protection of the plane, it had to be transported to the airport in the city of Leipzig in Germany.”
“According to the investigation, on the eve of the full-scale invasion, the An-225 was in proper technical condition, which allowed it to fly outside Ukraine.”
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“Instead, the general director of the company did not give an appropriate instruction regarding the evacuation of “Mriya” abroad.”
“Such criminal actions of the official led to the destruction of the Ukrainian transport plane.”
“The cost of state losses is UAH 8.4 billion.”
“In addition, the former official did not ensure a timely extension of the aircraft insurance contract.”
“As a result, the state-owned enterprise lost more than UAH 42 million in compensatory insurance payments.”
“Comprehensive measures are underway to establish all the circumstances of the crime and bring the culprits to justice.”
“The investigation is being conducted by SBU employees together with the National Police under the procedural guidance of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in the field of defense of the Prosecutor General’s Office.”
A Sad State of Affairs?
It remains clear that for the aviation world, this will be a sad state of affairs that the aircraft could have been saved.
Now, that does not mean that the level of fatalities incurred across Ukraine during the conflict has a lesser effect but is more of the global footprint the Antonov AN-225 Mriya provided for global trade.
It is to be said that aircraft such as Mriya can be replaced, with the Ukrainian Government intending to do this once the conflict comes to a close.
The cost of rebuilding is expected to be well over 500 million EUR.
Looking ahead, it’s going to be interesting to see how long it will take to rebuild the aircraft, especially with Mriya being a staple of Ukrainian infrastructure and being well-loved by those who live in the country.
