Ukroboronprom [Ukrainian Airspace and Defense Company] removed Serhiy Bychkov from the post of general director of the Antonov state enterprise based on the results of an official investigation after verifying certain facts published in the media.
According to the Ukroboronpromʼs press service, the general director of the concern, Yuriy Gusev, sent "relevant appeals to law enforcement agencies," and the concern assists the Security Service of Ukraine "in clarifying the circumstances of possible violations."
They did not specify the published facts.
- Serhiy Bychkov was appointed General Director of Antonov in May 2021. Prior to that, he was the acting head of the company.
- On March 19, Dmytro Antonov, a former captain of the Mriya plane, said that the AN-225 could have been saved from enemy shelling in Hostomel, but the aircraft was destroyed by irresponsibility of the management, including Serhiy Bychkov. The plane was not evacuated, although it was possible.
- On March 24, "Antonov" opened an account to raise funds for the restoration of "Mriya".