Report: Antonov Official Fired after Destruction of World’s Largest Cargo Airplane

The general director of Antonov—the Ukrainian company that owned the recently destroyed An-225 Mriya—has apparently been fired, according to a statement posted by state-owned defense manufacturer, Ukroboronprom.

Thom Patterson

Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 04:08 PM ET

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For more than three decades the An-225 Mriya reigned as the largest airplane in the world. [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Antonov's general director, Serhiy Bychkov, was fired on March 29 following the destruction of the An-225 Mriya cargo plane.
The dismissal stems from an "official investigation into verification of certain facts published in the media."
Media reports, including a former An-225 pilot's claim, suggest NATO had warned Antonov in January about Russia's impending invasion and recommended relocating the Mriya, but it remained grounded for repairs.

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The one-of-a-kind Antonov An-225 was destroyed in February during intense fighting between Ukrainians and invading Russian forces north of Kyiv at Gostomel Airport (UKKM), where the world’s largest cargo airplane was based.