<b>Live updates: follow the latest news on </b><a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/2022/02/18/russia-ukraine-latest-news/"><b>Russia-Ukraine</b></a> The world's largest plane, the Antonov AN-225, is being inspected after coming under attack from <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/europe/2022/02/24/explosions-heard-in-kiev-and-at-russia-ukraine-border-as-putin-launches-military-operation/" target="_blank">Russian forces in Ukraine</a>. <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2022/02/27/gargash-uae-rejects-military-solution-to-ukraine-crisis/" target="_blank">Ukraine's</a> state-owned defence conglomerate Ukroboronprom said the unique aircraft, known as Mriya, was destroyed at the Antonov Airport in Gostomel, near <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/europe/2022/02/25/ukrainians-call-unidentified-fighter-pilot-ghost-of-kiev-after-dogfight-videos-surface/" target="_blank">Kiev</a>. "The occupiers destroyed the airplane, but they won’t be able to destroy our common dream," the group said in a statement. "Mriya will definitely be reborn. The restoration is estimated to take over $3 billion and over five years." Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba confirmed the attack on the Antonov, while satellite images showed damage to a hangar at the airport. However, the Antonov Company has yet to write off the 84-metre-long aircraft. It said on Twitter: "Currently, until the AN-225 has been inspected by experts, we cannot report on the technical condition of the aircraft. Stay tuned for further official announcement." The airport has witnessed violent clashes since <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/2022/02/24/has-russia-invaded-ukraine-what-does-moscow-want/" target="_blank">the start of Russia's invasion</a>, launched by President <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/vladimir-putin" target="_blank">Vladimir Putin</a> on Thursday. With its six engines, 32 wheels and wingspan that matches the length of a football pitch, the Antonov AN-225 has claimed 242 world records since it started flying in 1988, according to Antonov Airlines. Its role in the aviation industry took on greater significance amid the <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/uae/coronavirus">coronavirus pandemic</a>, as it delivered tonne after tonne of vital aid to countries worldwide. The Mriya ("dream" in Ukrainian) entered commercial service in 2001 and was originally developed to transport the Energiya carrier-rocket and Buran space shuttle. The aircraft could carry a maximum payload of 250,000 kilograms, and had a wingspan of 88m. Its size meant it could fit a helicopter or haulage lorry inside. The next biggest commercial airliner is the Boeing 747-8F, which can handle up to 150 tonnes. Sandwiched between is the AN-124, which can handle up to 150 tonnes but has a single deck, in contrast to the 747-8F which has both the main deck and lower cargo hold. The Airbus BelugaXL, shaped like a whale and complete with a smiley face, is actually bigger than the Antonov in one respect: at 63m long and 8m wide, it has the largest cargo bay cross-section of all existing cargo aircraft.