Russian Forces Destroys World’s Largest Plane ‘Mriya’ In Ukraine (Photo)

The world’s largest aircraft, the Antonov AN-225, has been destroyed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

According to CNN, the enormous aircraft, named “Mriya,” or “dream” in Ukrainian, was parked at an airfield near Kyiv when it was attacked by Russian forces.

Ukrainian authorities said that they would rebuild the plane and will continue to defend the country.

On Twitter, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba wrote: “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!”

Ukrainian State defense company, Ukroboronprom, which manages Antonov, on Sunday, in a statement, confirmed that the aircraft had been destroyed, but would be rebuilt at Russia’s expense.

“The restoration of Mriya is estimated to take over 3 billion USD and over five years,” the statement read.

“Our task is to ensure that these costs are covered by the Russian Federation, which has caused intentional damage to Ukraine’s aviation and the air cargo sector,” it said.

The director of Antonov Airlines added that one of the engines was dismantled for repairs and the plane in Khiv was not able to take off that day, although the appropriate commands were given.

The AN-225 Mriya, designed in the 1980s, is the longest and the heaviest aeroplane ever built. It was powered by six turbofan engines and the plane could carry up to 640 tons of cargo. It could transport up to 250 tons (551,000 pounds) of cargo at a speed of up to 850 kilometres per hour (528 mph). To this day, Mriya remains the heaviest aircraft ever built. It boasts the largest wingspan of any aeroplane in operational service.

The AN-225 was also sometimes drafted to help airlift aid during crises in other countries. The aircraft was unique to the world at 84 meters long (276 feet) with more than 30 years of service. Fellow Ukrainian citizens also called it ‘The True Legend’ of skies and an example of human ingenuity

The largest plane was in high demand during the COVID-19 pandemic as a cargo plane