In a new development to the ongoing crises ongoing in Ukraine, it has emerged that Russia has destroyed the Antonov AN-225, the world’s largest aircraft in Ukraine in the midst of the prevailing conflict in the country.
The massive aircraft, dubbed “Mriya,” or “dream” in Ukrainian, was parked at an airfield near Kyiv when it was struck by Russian forces, according to CNN.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has however stated their intention of rebuilding the huge aircraft that they would continue to protect their nation.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba updated observers on this development by writing Twitter thus: “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!”
Also, a tweet from the Antonov Company said it could not verify the “technical condition” of the aircraft until it had been inspected by experts. 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 Kyiv was not able to take off that day, although the appropriate commands were given.
Source: ghbase.com
