Antonov's leadership sabotaged defense of Hostomel airport, report says

UP’s sources in Ukraine’s SBU security service said that in January 2022, the National Guard of Ukraine tried to negotiate with the administration of the airfield, but Antonov’s leadership didn’t allow them to enter the premises without documents that would indicate the number of personnel, units, weapons, and deployment plans for air defense systems.

Read also: Former Antonov plant director faces new charges for failing to evacuate plane to Germany – SBU

The documents were handed over to Antonov on Feb. 3, but for a month “the leadership didn’t give permission for various reasons,” and the National Guard was able to get to the airfield only a day before the invasion, which clearly didn’t give enough time to establish adequate defenses. As a result, advancing Russian were able to seize the strategically important airfield and nearby settlements, and destroy An-225 Mriya.

On April 5, former general director of the Antonov state-owned enterprise, Serhiy Bychkov, was charged with criminal negligence. According to the SBU, the An-225 Mriya transport aircraft was supposed to be transported to Leipzig, Germany, but Bychkov hesitated with giving corresponding orders, which led to An-225’s ultimate destruction.

Read also: An-225 Mriya’s evacuation to Germany was canceled last minute, Bild reports

In early March, Bychkov, his deputy, and the head of Antonov’s security were charged with obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations in protecting and defending the airport. Bychkov and the security chief were taken into custode, while the former deputy director was declared a wanted man. All of them face up to 15 years in prison.

An-225 Mriya was the world’s largest and most powerful transport aircraft, built by the Kyiv-based Antonov Design Bureau. The one-of-a-kind aircraft was destroyed by Russian forces on Feb. 27, 2022, during the battle for Hostomel.

Read also: SBU detains Russian agent collecting data on defenses of Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear plant

Antonov has since announced plans to build another An-225, but the timeframe and funding mechanisms for the project remain unclear.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine