• The Antonov An-124 Ruslan was built in the 1980s as a strategic military airlifter for the USSR.
• Both Ukraine and Russia have used the giant quad-engine freighter in the ongoing war effort.
• Two engines from Ukraine’s destroyed An-225 jet have been salvaged and sent to its An-124 fleet.

The world’s Largest Airplane, the Antonov An-225 “Myria”, was destroyed in February 2022 after Russia’s attack on Hostomel Airport near Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv.

Ukraine has been busy salvaging what it can of the jet since March 2023, with three engines actually being repaired and sent to the fleet of An-225’s sister jet: the Antonov An-124 Ruslan, a heavy-lift plane operated mostly by Russian and Ukrainian carriers.

Take a look at the giant aircraft, which has faced serious headwinds since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.