The mangled wreck of the world's largest cargo plane was shown on Russian state TV.
The footage of the ruined Ukrainian jet was shown on Russia's state-run Channel 1 on Friday and then shared on Western social-media channels. It was not clear if it was live or recorded.
The plane, also named Mriya, is a point of Ukrainian pride.
Hostomel airport is located around 15 miles from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
—OsintTv (@OsintTv) March 4, 2022
On the first day of the invasion of Ukraine, the airfield was targeted and captured by the Ukrainians, but they quickly regained control, as described by The Wall Street Journal.
The Journal reported that the plane was damaged that day. Ukroboronprom said it was at the airport for repairs.
It is not clear who has control of the airport. At the time of the recording, Russian troops were in control.
The plane had been destroyed, according to Ukronroboprom.
The statement read, "Russia has hit the Mriya as a symbol of Ukraine's aviation capabilities."
The Russian broadcast on Friday said that it was destroyed by Ukrainian strikes.
Neither Kuksenkova nor Ukroboronprom gave evidence for their claims.
The images on Channel 1 are consistent with a video that has been circulating online in recent days.
—IgorGirkin (@GirkinGirkin) March 3, 2022
The company has yet to respond to the Channel 1 footage of its plane, but did react to the earlier video in a tweet.
The plane's condition is unknown, and people should wait for the announcement of whether it can be restored.
—ANTONOV Company 🇺🇦 (@AntonovCompany) March 3, 2022
Ukroboronprom estimated the cost of restoration at $3 billion and said Russia should pay for it.
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