According to Ukraine's Security Service, unnamed employees of state company Antonov prevented Ukraine's authorities from organizing anti-aircraft and ground protection of the airfield, which led to the destruction of the world's largest cargo aircraft AN-225 Mriya by Russian forces on Feb. 27.
Antonov company’s management "did not take adequate measures to preserve the plane, despite warnings from authorities," the SBU reported, not disclosing the names of the suspects.
Dmytro Antonov, the chief pilot of the An-225 Mriya, has publicly criticized the company for not transferring Mriya abroad before Russia's full-scale invasion began. He claimed that the decision was not made as the company's top management had fled Ukraine two weeks before the all-out war.
On Oct. 13, the SBU opened a probe against undisclosed employees of Ukraine's Antonov company to discover whether these employees had cooperated with Russia. Back in March, the company denied the accusations.