The ex-director of "Antonov" Serhiy Bychkov was informed about the suspicion. Russian occupiers destroyed the An-225 "Mriia" plane due to official negligence.
This was reported to the National Police.
The investigation established that the exhibitor, despite the warnings of the state authorities and knowing exactly about the termination of the insurance coverage for the "Mriia", did not ensure the relocation of the plane to a safe place.
As a result, during an air attack by Russian troops on the airport in Hostomel, the An-225 burned down. The amount of damages caused to the state is more than 8.4 billion hryvnias.
It is also known that on the eve of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the "Mriia" plane was technically in good condition, the airfield had sufficient aviation fuel for the flight, and the crew was ready for departure. That is, there was every opportunity to evacuate the plane to the German city of Leipzig, but the former general director of "Antonov" did not give such an order and ignored the reports and suggestions of his subordinates.
The investigators informed Bychkov about the suspicion under Part 2 of Art. 367 (official negligence) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The suspect is currently in custody without bail. He faces up to 5 years in prison.
Investigators are currently checking information on the possibility of evacuating six more planes, including An-124 "Ruslan", which were at the airport at the time.
- An-225 aircraft was destroyed during enemy fire in Hostomel. On March 19, the former captain of the "Mriia" plane Dmytro Antonov informed that the An-225 could have been saved from enemy fire in Hostomel, but the plane was destroyed by the irresponsibility of the management, including Serhiy Bychkov. He was not evacuated, although there was an opportunity. Already on March 24, "Antonov" opened an account to collect funds for the restoration of "Mriia".
- The Security Service of Ukraine established that the officials of the state-owned enterprise "Antonov", despite the warnings of the state authorities, did not protect the An-225 "Mriia" aircraft from destruction during the invasion of Russia.
- On March 29, "Ukroboronprom" removed Serhiy Bychkov from the position of general director of the state enterprise "Antonov" based on the results of an official investigation after checking individual facts.
- On March 10, 2023, the SBU notified the ex-director of “Antonov” Serhii Bychkov, security chief Oleksandr Netyosov, and director Mykhailo Kharchenko of suspicion for obstructing the preparation of the airfield defense in Hostomel.