Footage appears to confirm world’s biggest plane was destroyed in Kyiv fighting
Unverified footage is said to show the world’s biggest plane on fire after Russian forces attacked Ukraine.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba claimed last Sunday the Antonov An-225 Mriya, a symbol of national pride, had been ‘destroyed’.
‘Russia may have destroyed our “Mriya”. But they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state’, he said. ‘We shall prevail!’
A video released on social media allegedly shows black smoke coming out of the aircraft at the Antonov airfield in Gostomel near Kyiv.
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However, an update is expected on the exact condition of the plane.
The Antonov Company retweeted the new video, writing: ‘NO NO NO NO… 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.’
Ukroboronprom, which manages the Antonov company, has vowed to make ‘aggressor’ Vladimir Putin pay for repairs.
‘It will cost over $3bn to restore the plane, the restoration shall be time-consuming’, a statement read.
‘Ukraine will make every effort to ensure that the aggressor state pays for these works.’
Officials added that the Antonov AN-225 had been ‘a symbol of Ukraine’s aviation capabilities’.
It is the heaviest aircraft ever built and boasts a maximum take-off weight of around 598 tonnes.
Designers also gave it the largest wingspan – 88.4 m – of any airplane in operational service.
Dating back to the Soviet era, the cargo plane was sometimes used to airlift humanitarian aid to other countries.
What is the Antonov An-255 Mriya?
The largest plane in the world, the Antonov An-255 Mriya, was a source of national pride for the Ukranian nation.
Designed and built in the country during the 1980s, it took its inaugural flight on December 21, 1988.
The mammoth plane has six engines, 32 wheels and a gigantic 88.4m wingspan. For comparison, the length of the football pitch at Molineux stadium, home of Wolverhampton Wanderers, is 100m long.
It set several records during its operation, including the world record for the weight of payload carried by a single plane: 253,802kg.
It could, for example, fit four full-size battle tanks into its massive fuselage all at once.
Despite its age, the plane has continued in operational service. During the onslaught of Covid-19 in 2020, it was involved in flying medical supplies from China to other parts of the world.
It comes amid fears Russian attacks are becoming more brutal as Vladimir Putin is left furious by slow progress.
Kremlin forces are accused of killing children and targeting hospitals, although some platoons and individual troops are reportedly surrendering.
Russia’s foreign minister has said Moscow is ready for talks to end the fighting – but vowed to keep bombing today.
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously insisted Russia stop bombing Ukrainian cities before peace talks can resume – but the Ukrainian delegation is currently en route to Belarus.
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