The director of the Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing company Antonov has been sacked after he allegedly failed to save the world’s largest plane, of which only one was ever built, from being destroyed by the Russians.
It has also been alleged that Antonov’s top management had ties with Russia, which is said to be why the rescue failed.
But others claim the plane was not airworthy.
News that the massive Antonov An-225 aeroplane had been destroyed after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s soldiers attacked the Hostomel airfield, on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, made headlines around the world.
And now Ukrainian conglomerate Ukroboronprom, which is made up of 123 state-owned companies, including Antonov, among numerous other assets, has reportedly sacked the director of Antonov – named Serhiy Bychkov – over his apparent failure to rescue the aircraft before it was obliterated in Putin’s war.
Newsflash obtained a statement from Ukroboronprom that said (in English): “On March 29, Ukroboronprom removed Serhiy Bychkov from his office of General Director of the Antonov State Enterprise, which is part of the State Concern.
“The reason for the dismissal was an official investigation into verification of certain facts published in the media.
“Yuriy Husyev, General Director of Ukroboronprom, appealed to law enforcement bodies.
“Ukroboronprom is assisting the Security Service of Ukraine in elucidating the events of possible violations.”
The massive Antonov An-225, of which only one has ever been made, was reportedly set to be relocated to Leipzig, Germany, before the war began, where other Antonov aircraft had already been parked, according to German media.
The world’s largest cargo plane was set to be relocated to an airfield near the German city, according to pilot Dmytro Antonov, 58, who, coincidentally, has the same name as the airline’s founder, Oleg Antonov.
The pilot said: “On 26th January, there was an appeal to top management, both from NAMSA, NATO’s logistics service provider, and from Antonov Salis GmbH.”
He added: “All aircraft, personnel and spare parts should have been brought to safety in Leipzig. There was no decision as of 23rd February.”
There have reportedly been claims that the aircraft was not able to fly, but Antonov, the pilot, denies this, saying: “I flew with her on 5th February. After that, her engines were serviced. On the evening of 23th February, she was ready to fly to Leipzig with 70 tonnes of fuel.”
But the rescue flight did not take place, for reasons that are still unclear, and now it appears that the Ukrainian government is blaming Bychkov for the plane’s destruction, after Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Thursday, 24th February, with the Hostomel airfield coming under fire.
The pilot reportedly claims that the reason the rescue operation was prevented was that the top managers of the Ukrainian company had ties with Russia.
The pilot, who has reportedly been sacked as well, warned people against donating money to the USD-3-billion effort to build a new Antonov An-225, saying: “Of course you can deposit your money, but at your own risk…”
But Ukroboronprom said in a statement released on 27th March (also in English): “Russians destroy An-225 ‘Mriya’, it will be restored at the expense of the occupant.
“Russian occupiers destroyed the flagship of Ukrainian aviation – the legendary An-225 ‘Mriya’. This happened at the Antonov airfield in Gostomel near Kyiv, where the plane was. It will cost over 3 bln USD to restore the plane, the restoration shall be time consuming.
“Ukraine will make every effort to ensure that the aggressor state pays for these works.
“Russia has hit the Mriya as a symbol of Ukraine’s aviation capabilities. An-225 ‘Mriya’ – avia giant, which holds records for transportation of biggest commercial cargo and longest and heaviest in the history of aviation monoloading, lifting capacity. Unfortunately, these options are lost today, however they will be definitely restored.
“The occupiers destroyed the airplane, but they won’t be able to destroy our common dream. Mriya will definitely be reborn. The restoration is estimated to take over 3 bln USD and over 5 years. Our task is to ensure that these costs are covered by the Russian Federation, which has caused intentional damage to Ukraine’s aviation and the air cargo sector.
“Russia has destroyed our ‘Mriya’ ( laterally translated as ‘lathe ‘dream’), but the dream of Ukraine to get free from the occupier cannot be destroyed. We will fight for our land and our home until we win. And after the victory, we will definitely finish our new ‘Mriya’, which has been waiting for this in a safe place for many years. Everything will be Ukraine!’ Yuriy Husyev said, General Director of Ukroboronprom.
“At the time of invasion, the AN-225 Mriya was under repair at Gostomel Airport, so it did not have time to leave Ukraine.”
The German daily Bild reported: “The Antonov 225 had landed in Leipzig 32 times since 2008, more than anywhere else in Germany. She was at Saxony’s largest airport for the last time on 18th January. In November 2021, 3.5 million rapid [coronavirus] tests were delivered with the machine.
Bild also said: “On 25th February, in the first week of the war, two Ukrainian Antonovs landed in Leipzig” from Austria.