Russia-Ukraine war: AN-225 Mriya, the Ukraine-made world's largest aircraft was destroyed in Russian shelling last week
A viral video of the ruins of the AN-225 Mriya, the world's largest aircraft destroyed by the Russians in Ukraine, has now gone viral.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba announced on Twitter that Miria, which he addressed as the country's national pride, had been destroyed. "It was the world's largest aircraft, the AN-225 'Maria' ('Dream' in Ukrainian). Russia may have destroyed our 'Maria'. But they were never a strong, independent and democratic European state." Let's not destroy our dream. We will win!," Kuleba had tweeted.
In a video going viral on social media, black smoke is seen billowing out of the plane at an airport near Kyiv.
😨 NO NO NO NO…
— ANTONOV Company 🇺🇦 (@AntonovCompany) March 3, 2022
Currently, until the #AN225 has been inspected by experts, we cannot report on the technical condition of the aircraft.
Please wait for the official announcements about the condition of the aircraft#StopRussia #Ukraine https://t.co/pEXDanePTw
However, aircraft manufacturer Antonov tweeted an update on the viral video, saying that technical experts are inspecting the current condition of the aircraft. It asked netizens to wait for any official announcement on the status of the aircraft.
The news website Metro reported that according to Ukroboronprom, the company that manages Antonov, restoring the plane to its original condition would cost $3 billion and the process would take time.
Designed and built in Ukraine, the AN-225 Mriya made its first flight on December 21, 1988. Regarded as the world's largest aircraft, it has six engines, 32 wheels and a massive wingspan of 88.4 metres. Miria held the world record for the heaviest payload carried by a single aircraft: 253 tonnes.