Unfinished Second An-225 ‘Mriya’ Prototype Reportedly Destroyed in Kyiv Airfield Strike
ID 33969266 | An225 © Alexey Kotlyar | Dreamstime.com
The last remaining hope of restoring the legendary Antonov An-225 ‘Mriya’ has been dealt a final blow following a major fire at Kyiv’s Sviatoshyn Airfield, confirmed by NASA satellite imagery and reported by PortalMilitarny.pl. The blaze occurred overnight between April 11–12, 2025, and is believed to have been the result of a Russian strike targeting military drone production facilities.
Background: The Final ‘Mriya’
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Aircraft: Antonov An-225 ‘Mriya’ – second prototype (serial number 0102)
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Location: Sviatoshyn Airfield, Kyiv
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Status: Under construction since the 1980s, estimated 70% complete by the 1990s
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Stored Components: Fuselage, center section, tail unit
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Purpose of Storage: Initially built for the Soviet Buran space shuttle program; later stored due to cancellation
While Ukraine had pledged to rebuild the An-225 using surviving components from the original aircraft destroyed in 2022 at Hostomel, those plans have now been rendered effectively impossible. The uncompleted airframe was housed in Antonov’s largest hangar, which was repurposed in recent years for the production of An-196 long-range strike UAVs, a priority target for Russia.
The April Strike & Fire
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Target: Hangar at Sviatoshyn Airfield
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Purpose: Disrupt production of An-196 drones used by Ukraine for attacks inside Russia
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Impact: Total destruction of the hangar and likely the second An-225 prototype
According to satellite data from NASA FIRMS, the airfield experienced extensive fires consistent with the aftermath of a precision missile or drone strike. This hangar also previously stored the relocated fuselage of the An-225, making it highly probable that the remaining Mriya components have been destroyed.
ID 225942642 | An225 © Arsgera | Dreamstime.com
What Remains of the An-225?
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The first and only completed An-225 was destroyed during the battle for Hostomel in February 2022.
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Only its tail unit, wing sections, and two D-18T engines were salvaged and repurposed for An-124 ‘Ruslan’ transports.
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With the fuselage of the second prototype now likely destroyed, no viable airframe remains for reconstruction.
Strategic & Symbolic Loss
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had vowed in 2022 that the An-225 would be rebuilt as a symbol of national resilience. However, insufficient funding, industrial degradation, and shifting wartime priorities meant that this goal was largely symbolic and without a clear path forward.
With the loss of the stored airframe and ongoing strikes on aerospace infrastructure, Ukraine’s ambitions to revive its aviation legacy via the An-225 appear definitively over.
Final Thoughts
The destruction of the second An-225 prototype is not just a blow to Ukraine’s aerospace industry but also marks the end of a Soviet-era engineering marvel. While some believed it could fly again, the reality of ongoing conflict, economic strain, and technical limitations means the Mriya — “dream” in Ukrainian — is now likely gone forever.
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