Wreckage of world's largest plane testament to Kyiv's defence
India Today
Remains of the world's biggest cargo aircraft, Antonov An-225 Mriya, were seen at Ukraine's Gostomel Airport. The plane was destroyed by blasts during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Under a shattered crescent hanger at Ukraine's Gostomel Airport the world's largest plane lies buckled and broken, an immovable monument to the battle Russia waged to take this foothold towards the capital of Kyiv.
The Antonov An-225 Mriya -- a cargo-lift plane with an 88 metre (290 feet) wingspan that is the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational service -- has been mauled by blasts.
Remains of the world's biggest cargo aircraft Antonov An-225 Mriya seen at the Hostomel Airfield on April 8, 2022.The plane is destroyed beyond repairing.@IAPonomarenko / The Kyiv Independent pic.twitter.com/pHvumlHcAU
"Mriya" -- meaning "dream" in Ukrainian -- was once printed on the nose. The name is now lost in a mass of scalded metal scraps and abandoned ammunition.
The plane was once a source of national pride but it was sacrificed in the fight to keep Russian troops outside the city gates.
