Destruction of Mriya aircraft: Security Service of Ukraine checks whether Antonov plant employees helped Russia

Ukrainska Pravda
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THURSDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2022, 19:31

Workers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) are figuring out whether employees of Antonov State Enterprise cooperated with Russia, which could have led to the destruction of the world's largest An-225 Mriya [Ukrainian for ‘dream’] aircraft at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Source: Prosecutor General's Office, in response to Ukrinform's request

Quote: "Prosecutors of the Specialised Prosecutor's Office for military and defence of the Prosecutor General's Office carry out procedural management of pre-trial investigations in criminal proceedings on the fact that officials of the Antonov State Enterprise may have provided assistance to a foreign state – the Russian Federation – or its representatives in carrying out subversive activities against Ukraine, which led to the destruction of the An-225 Mriya aircraft and other (planes) during the military aggression of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation".

Details: The case is being investigated by the Main Investigative Department of the SSU.

A number of examinations were conducted in the case. The investigations continue.

The Prosecutor General's Office informed that employees of the Main Investigative Department of the National Police were also investigating the case of negligence of duties by the officials of the Antonov State Enterprise. In particular, the An-225 Mriya aircraft was not evacuated, which led to its destruction during the military aggression of the Russian Federation.

Background:

  • In the end of February, the world-famous An-225 Mriya, one of the largest and most powerful aircraft in existence, was destroyed as a result of the attack on the Hostomel Airport by Russian troops.

  • Dmytro Antonov, the commander of the aircraft, stated that the Mriya could have been saved. In particular, at the time when the Russian invasion began, the Antonov State Enterprise had a reserve airfield leased for 5 years in Leipzig, Germany, the NATO airfield reserved specifically for Mriya. The crew of the aircraft was ready to take off from Hostomel to Germany on the morning of 24 February, and even started the engines, but they never received the take-off command.

  • At the end of March, Ukroboronprom State Enterprise suspended Serhii Bychkov, the director of Antonov. On 4 April, Yurii Gusev, the head of Ukroboronprom, signed order # 141, according to which Bychkov was finally dismissed from the post of General Director of Antonov State Enterprise.

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