It was housed at Kyiv's Gostomel Airport, which was attacked by the Russian military when they invaded on 24 February and despite initial reports that it was safe, officials have since reported that the AN-225 was destroyed in an airstrike.
The AN-225 Mriya, which means dream in Ukrainian, was undergoing work at the airport and one of the engines had been removed, so it could not be moved to safety.
Satellite images on the internet show the hangar where the aircraft was housed has been destroyed, and the aircraft on fire in the hangar.
On Twitter, Antonov Company did not comment on the status of the AN-225 but said: “Until the AN-225 has been inspected by experts, we cannot report on the technical condition of the aircraft”.
Ukrainian defence conglomerate, Ukroboronprom, which owns Antonov, say the AN-225 will be restored adding it will cost over $3bn and restoration will be time-consuming.
In a statement, Ukroboronprom says: “Ukraine will make every effort to ensure that the aggressor state pays for these works.”
Commenting on the loss, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dymtro Kuleba says: “Russia may have destroyed our ‘Mriya’. But they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state. We shall prevail!”