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Mriya, the world’s largest aircraft made in Ukraine, was destroyed during the Russian military invasion. Photo/REUTERS
KIEV – Security Service Ukraine (SBU) on Friday (10/3/2023) arrested two former aerospace officials in connection with the destruction of the world’s largest aircraft, the cargo plane Antonov-225, due to the invasion Russia .
With a wingspan of 88 meters, the unique Antonov An-225 aircraft named “Mriya”—which means “dream” in Ukrainian—was destroyed last year in a Moscow military raid on Gostomel Airport near Kiev, where it was parked in a hangar.
The airport experienced heavy fighting soon after the start of the invasion on 24 February 2022 as the Moscow military attempted to seize it and use the aircraft to transport weapons to Kiev.
Mriya’s plane was destroyed in the first days of the Moscow invasion. It had been used to fly medical equipment from China during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The SBU accused top officials at defense company Antonov, an aircraft manufacturer, of preventing Ukrainian troops from protecting the airfields ahead of the invasion.
“According to investigations, ahead of the full-scale invasion, officials did not allow the Ukrainian National Guard to enter the territory of Gostomel airport to prepare its defense,” the SBU said in a statement.
The SBU said Antonov officials in January and February prevented the Ukrainian military from building fortifications at the airfield and barred them from entering.
“A former deputy director general of the Antonov company is currently hiding from justice,” the SBU said, while two other suspects – the former director general and head of the aviation security unit – have been detained.
They face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty of obstructing the lawful activities of Ukraine’s armed forces.
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