The SBU collected "indisputable evidence of the guilt" of Serhiy Bychkov, the former director general of Antonov State Enterprise, and Oleksandr Netiosov, the head of the aviation security unit, whose actions led to the destruction of the An-225 "Mriya" aircraft.
According to the investigation, before the full-scale invasion of Russia, the perpetrators prevented National Guard servicemen from entering the territory of the Gostomel airport to prepare for its defense.
To do this, in the period from January to February 2022, the officials ordered to block the admission of the Ukrainian military to the territory of the facility.
The investigators completed the pre-trial investigation and sent the indictment to the court.
The extras are charged under part 2 of Art. 27, Part 2 of Art. 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. It is about obstructing the legal activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations. The accused are currently in custody. They face up to 15 years in prison.
An-225 aircraft was destroyed during enemy fire in Gostomel. On March 19, the former captain of the "Mriya" plane, Dmytro Antonov, said that the An-225 could have been saved from enemy fire in Gostomel, but it was destroyed by the irresponsibility of the management, including Serhiy Bychkov. The plane was not evacuated, although there was such a possibility. Already on March 24, "Antonov" opened an account to collect funds for the restoration of "Mriya".
- The Security Service of Ukraine established that the officials of the state-owned enterprise "Antonov", despite the warnings of state authorities, did not protect the An-225 "Mriya" aircraft from destruction during the invasion of Russia.
- On March 29, 2022, Ukroboronprom removed Serhiy Bychkov from the position of general director of the Antonov state enterprise based on the results of an official investigation after checking individual facts.
- On March 10, 2023 , the SBU notified the ex-director of Antonov Serhiy Bychkov, security chief Oleksandr Netyosov, and director Mykhailo Kharchenko of suspicion for obstructing the preparation of the airfield defense in Gostomel. Later, the former director of "Antonov" Serhiy Bychkov was informed of another suspicion — due to the officialʼs negligence, the Russian occupiers destroyed the An-225 "Mriya" aircraft.