Mriya

Mriya, meaning "dream" in Ukrainian, is a term used for various things, most prominently for the Antonov An-225 Mriya, the largest cargo aircraft ever built. Designed in the 1980s by the Soviet Antonov Design Bureau to support the Buran space shuttle program, it was built to carry oversized payloads and perform extraordinary freight missions.

The An-225 features six engines, a wingspan of 88.4 meters, a length of 84 meters, and a maximum takeoff weight around 640 metric tons. It could carry a payload of up to about 250 metric tons and had a range that depended on load. It was the only airframe completed, with a second, unfinished airframe never entering service.

Operational history and fate: The aircraft first flew in 1988 and entered service with Antonov Airlines after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, performing heavy cargo flights and record-setting missions. In 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the An-225 Mriya was damaged at Hostomel Airport near Kyiv and was subsequently confirmed destroyed. As of the mid-2020s, there were no active plans to rebuild the airframe, with parts and materials potentially repurposed or scrapped.

Other uses: Beyond aviation, Mriya is the Ukrainian word for "dream" and has been used in various cultural, commercial, and philanthropic contexts, reflecting national symbolism and aspirations. The term appears in literature, art, and branding within Ukraine and among Ukrainian communities abroad.