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One Ukrainian War Casualty: The World’s Largest Airplane
Mriya, the world’s largest aircraft, was destroyed in a pivotal battle at the start of the war. It was a beloved symbol for all of Ukraine but perhaps no one misses it more than its first pilot.
BUCHA, Ukraine — The day war broke out, one of Ukraine’s most decorated pilots stepped onto the balcony of his three-story home to watch a battle raging at a nearby airport.
From where he was standing, the pilot, Oleksandr Halunenko, could see the explosions and feel the shudders. The Russians were invading his country and he was worried about something close to his heart.
Mriya.
The plane.
In a hangar a few miles away rested the world’s largest airplane, so special that only one was ever built. Its name is Mriya, pronounced Mer-EE-ah, which in Ukrainian means The Dream. With its six jet engines, twin tail fins and a wingspan nearly as long as a football field, Mriya hauled gargantuan amounts of cargo across the world, mesmerizing crowds wherever it landed. It was an airplane celebrity, aviation enthusiasts say, and widely beloved. It was also a cherished symbol of Ukraine.
Mr. Halunenko was Mriya’s first pilot and loved it like a child. He has turned his home into a Mriya shrine — pictures and paintings and models of the aircraft hang in every room.
But that morning, he had a terrible feeling.
“I saw so many bombs and so much smoke,” he said. “I knew Mriya could not survive.”
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