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The Military Idle

Largest Plane Ever Built May Have Been Destroyed, Ukraine Foreign Minister Says (sfgate.com) 152

Posted by EditorDavid from the spoiled-of-war dept.
SFGate reports: The largest plane ever built has been destroyed at an airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said Sunday....

The Antonov An-225 Mriya was built in Ukraine in 1985 when the nation was still controlled by the Soviet Union. It has six turbofan engines and is the heaviest aircraft ever built. It was created as a strategic airlift cargo craft, carrying Soviet space orbiters, but was later purchased by Antonov Airlines. It's since been used to airlift oversized cargo and large loads of emergency aid during natural disasters....

Although Kuleba's tweet confirmed the plane's demise, Antonov says it is still gathering information on the massive plane's fate.
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Largest Plane Ever Built May Have Been Destroyed, Ukraine Foreign Minister Says More

Largest Plane Ever Built May Have Been Destroyed, Ukraine Foreign Minister Says

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  • Global Thermonuclear War.

    Who is willing to call Putin's bluff on nuke readiness?

    • Global Thermonuclear War.

      Who is willing to call Putin's bluff on nuke readiness?

      I'd just like to point out that while Russian nuclear forces are on highest alert, N. Korea just fired off a ballistic missile [yna.co.kr].

      Action condemned by the US (obviously), but it gave me a chuckle that N. Korea would try to provoke Russia and the US into a nuclear war like that.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by crow ( 16139 )

        This is where things get really messy. If Russia and NATO really get going, China may see this as an opportunity to seize Taiwan, and North Korea may see this as an opportunity to take South Korea. There are plenty of hot spots in the world where the US being occupied elsewhere could signal opportunity to aggressors.

        • There is no possibility of North Korea "taking" south Korea.
          North Korea can shell Seoul into rubble, but they're not capable of invading and holding anything.

          • North Koreas army is about 1million soldiers ...

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Bert64 ( 520050 )

              Having a large army is no guarantee, the south is better equipped and better trained. The US defeated the Iraqi army despite being outnumbered and fighting on their territory. Having a large army on the ground does you no good when the enemy can remain out of range of your weapons and blow you up from a distance.

              That's why the north want nukes - they know they will lose a conventional war, but if they have the capability to nuke a couple of cities in the south it would render any war too costly for the sout

              • You are right in principle, but with enough numbers - and those they probably have - you can weed out that disadvantage.
                After all the other side might run out of ammunition etc.

                but if they have the capability to nuke a couple of cities in the south it would render any war too costly for the south to pursue.
                That is a two fold problem. As US likely has nukes in South Korea, too.

                That fucking problem is basically USA's fault. Letting the Soviets have NK, because they agreed "Yeah, Korea is a part of Japan, let'

        • Nato won't get going at all. The only way to get Nato going, is to attack a Nato country. With the exception of 9-11 this has never happened and because no Nato country is involved in this war, Nato simply won't do anything. Nato never was an actual threat to Russia, that's just what Put wants you to believe.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by rastos1 ( 601318 )
            Do you think that NATO is going to do anything even if NATO country is attacked? I mean it seems to me that NATO is so afraid of its own huge power that it will hesitate to use it even if NATO country is attacked. (Unless a large scale attack is launched against US) I, kind of, do have understanding for that. Yesterday ballistic missiles were launched from Belarus with range big enough to reach NATO countries. Nobody knew at the time what was the payload. And determining trajectory takes while. At which po

            • My understanding of history suggests most of us don't have long to live.

              I obviously hope I'm wrong. I'm fine with dying myself. I'm ready. But I hoped that 5-6 billion of my fellow human beings wouldn't end up having to die anytime soon as well.

        • As much as any nation may think this, the little pride I have as an American is our achievements in WW2. We are one of the few nations it seems in history that got goaded into a two front war and kicked ass on both fronts. Yes Ukraine will be more of a land war but not China with Taiwan which means it's very similar in strategy to WW2.

          Of course we can't nuke anyone into submission but we could sit our navy off the coast and pummel a shit ton of targets in China.

          The real question is only would we commit to d

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by tragedy ( 27079 )

            We are one of the few nations it seems in history that got goaded into a two front war and kicked ass on both fronts.

            Credit where it's due. While the US certainly made major contributions in Europe during WW2, it was hardly the only party involved. Let's not forget that it was technically the USSR that won WW2 in Europe. Also, the USSR crushed the Japanese on land in WW2. It's been argued that the US used atomic bombs against Japan because they were desperate to get Japan to surrender to them rather than the Soviets who were preparing to invade Japan directly. So that would make the USSR/Russians a nation that was goaded

            • Fair enough. The USSR of this period was a mighty force but likely the comparison to modern Russia is slim. Russia did take far more losses than us but it did also have to contend with two land wars.

              Honestly, it seems generally accepted that Germany's mistake was opening the offensive with Germany when it did. As for the history of WW2 in Asia, I know rather little about it other than it having a bit of a different regional name and started much earlier in a significant form than Europe. I do not know much

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by tragedy ( 27079 )

                All being said, it's hard to deny the strength of the USSR of the time but the nation of Russia is quite distinctly different.

                Quite true. One way it seems to be different is that modern Russia is more brazenly kleptocratic. I'm quite sure that there was plenty of corruption at the time too (Putin, for example, supposedly used to divert entire trainloads of government provided food and supplies to sell for his own profit when he was a political officer in the KGB), but it seems quite possible that it's worse today. On of the things that has surprised people in their invasion of Ukraine is the poor state of repair of a lot of their

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Bert64 ( 520050 )

            The US, UK and Russia have an agreement to respect Ukraine's sovereignty, not to provide material support or defense in the event that Ukraine is attacked by someone else. Russia has clearly broken that agreement, but the US and UK have not.

            • Fair enough. I had to reread the "security assurances" but this quote seems to explain it, "It gives signatories justification if they take action, but it does not force anyone to act in Ukraine."

              Seems kind of weak but the details I quickly read said US politics limited effectively ratifying a more effective defense treat.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Chrisq ( 894406 )

          This is where things get really messy. If Russia and NATO really get going, China may see this as an opportunity to seize Taiwan, and North Korea may see this as an opportunity to take South Korea. There are plenty of hot spots in the world where the US being occupied elsewhere could signal opportunity to aggressors.

          While nobody is looking Britain might take America back!

      • I would think it's more about Kim needing attention again. The war in Ukraine has turned the world's attention to Eastern Europe rather than China and the Asia-Pacific. Poor Kim needs to move himself up the news cycle ladder.

    • Who is willing to call Putin's bluff on nuke readiness?

      He's probably performing for his home audience.

    • Re:Shall we play a game? (Score:5, Informative)

      by quonset ( 4839537 ) on Sunday February 27, 2022 @06:41PM (#62309911)

      Global Thermonuclear War.

      Who is willing to call Putin's bluff on nuke readiness?

      Everyone, because it's meaningless. Even his addled brain won't be stupid enough to do anything with nuclear weapons.

      It's the last, desperate cry of a loser to make themselves seem relevant. It's the same reason he wants to have a meeting tomorrow (Monday). His invasion of Ukraine has failed. Totally. It's an absolute debacle with thousands of troops dead, military hardware by the metric ton either captured, abandoned or annihilated, and no objective even remotely close to being met. They don't even have air superiority. As result, convoys are [9cache.com] being taken out [9cache.com]through the use of drones [9cache.com].

      And this is on top of his logistical failure. It is well known he is unable to supply his troops with enough fuel or ammunition. 72 hours. That is what someone in the know quoted when it comes to supplying a military force. After 72 hours of sustained combat you need a complete refuel, rearm and resupply if you want to continue. As the video evidence shows [9cache.com], that's not happening [9gag.com]. Supply convoys are being totally destroyed. As a result, troops are literally leaving their vehicles where they are and walking away.

      All of this is addition to his attempts to enter Ukrainian cities. Again, the video evidence [9cache.com] shows his convoys [9cache.com] are being obliterated [9cache.com].

      Putin needed a quick victory. He thought it would be two or three days and over. We're now coming up on day five and the tide is turning against him. His soldiers are demoralized, the equipment they're using is far below analyst predictions in quality and capability, and now that his country is essentially isolated from the world, things are unraveling. Fast. The only card he can play is, "I'vE gOt NuKeS!!!", and he's not going to use it.

      • If I were you, I'd be a bit more skeptical of ambiguous videos you find on the internet.

        Not to detract from your overall tone, which I'm rooting for being correct, but you seem marginally disconnected from reality, and there have been boatloads of stories, fake videos, and misattributed videos propagandizing Ukraine's bravery and success (which isn't to say that they aren't brave- they are, and not successful- I think they're putting up a hell of a fight in the face of terrifying odds)

        • If I were you, I'd be a bit more skeptical of ambiguous videos you find on the internet.

          Not to detract from your overall tone, which I'm rooting for being correct, but you seem marginally disconnected from reality, and there have been boatloads of stories, fake videos, and misattributed videos propagandizing Ukraine's bravery and success (which isn't to say that they aren't brave- they are, and not successful- I think they're putting up a hell of a fight in the face of terrifying odds)

          These particular videos are confirmed. Specifically, any of the destroyed convoys have a V or Z on the side of the vehicles are Russian. Those are some of the symbols used by the Russian forces to identify who is who. The group asking for fuel is clearly Russian. The videos of convoys being struck by drones are also confirmed. The one video of the guy saying 'blyat" at the end of the sentence is from Kharkiv yesterday. The other is from Bucha, another known location of Ukrainian defense.

          Yes, there are m

          • These particular videos are confirmed.

            I'm sure they are very much real. I once got drunk and jumped off my deck straight into a swimming pool and the video ended on Facebook. That's however where it should end. No one should assume I'm a parkour expert or a long-jump athlete. The video shows 3 convoys being hit. Unless there were only 3 convoys, and unless Russia has destroyed nothing of the Ukraine all you've shown is what is known as war propaganda.

            I'm not saying Russia isn't in a bad shape, but please don't spread propaganda, especially when

      • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Whibla ( 210729 )

        It's the last, desperate cry of a loser to make themselves seem relevant.

        My first thought on watching that video was: "Wow, looks like he's just received a terminal diagnosis."

        There's a difference between 'going out with a bang' and 'taking the whole world with you' which has perhaps been lost in translation...

    • Who is willing to call Putin's bluff on nuke readiness?

      The Russian army, I would expect. My reading of history is that soldiers, including generals, don't like war. You may have noticed that soldiers tend to die a lot in wars. Politicians start wars, not soldiers.

      • It depends a lot of the general, I work with a lot of defense personnel in my country. I would say the vast majority of brass want to avoid war at all costs. They cringe when they hear the bravado and enthusiasm for war that usually comes from the soldiers themselves, I think the difference is a lot of the top Brass tend to be older and have actually seen conflict or fought in wars and know first hand there is no glory in killing or being killed.

  • Is anyone else shocked that this plane wasn't moved out of the country well before the attack, or even shortly after it started? Why would they just let it be destroyed like that?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by XXongo ( 3986865 )

      Is anyone else shocked that this plane wasn't moved out of the country well before the attack,

      No.

      or even shortly after it started? Why would they just let it be destroyed like that?

      It has no particular value, other than historical.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by uncqual ( 836337 )

        The plane was being used for transporting cargo up until a landing incident last year which damaged it (I assume that was the repairs they were doing that prevented it from being flown out before Putin's thugs targeted it).

        According to this [rferl.org] It was making about 12 to 20 flights per year but demand picked up during the pandemic.

        It can also carry large loads that no other plane can.

        It has more than historical value.

    • Because if its maintenance base is destroyed, theres no point in having the aircraft elsewhere anyway.

      Whats more important is whats the state of the Motor Sich jet turbine manufacturing centre in Zaporizhzhia, as this produces the engines that power the AN-124 and AN-225 - if that factory is gone, then so are essentially the remaining AN-124s in due course.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by uncqual ( 836337 )

      According to this article [ukroboronprom.com.ua], it was undergoing repairs at the time and could not be flown out in time.

      The claim is that it will cost $3B USD to "restore" (given that reports are that it was on fire in the maintenance hanger, "restore" may be an optimistic outlook) and that the occupiers will pay for that. I'm sure if they send an invoice to Putin, he will see to it that it's paid in a timely fashion.

      (Maybe the world will isolate Russia until they pay reparations that will include rebuilding this plane they ne

    • It most likely was not air worthy, or no one thought about it: there is a war going on, more pressing matters to attend.

    • Its destruction is symbolic of typical Russian evil which makes that a plus. The value to aviation buffs is irrelevant and flying out large assets wastes money and jet fuel needed for the war.

      War matters more than toys.

  • The shame of the isplaced shame.
    • That doesn't mean we have to ONLY focus on that every waking second, nor does it mean we can't point out the technological losses that also stemmed from this conflict. Doing that isn't saying "that doesn't matter," nor does it mean people don't care, it means ... just that we are talking about a different aspect of the conflict (one that is wholly appropriate for a geek site like /..

  • I wanted to title this "Fuck" because it's so frustrating that such a significant piece of aviation history is now a smouldering mass.

    Sure, Russia's military probably saw it as a Ukrainian asset that had to be destroyed to deny the use of it however they have destroyed a part of their history as well. Buran [wikipedia.org] was the spacecraft it was designed to service and two of them are still in storage in Kazakhstan. Even as a symbolic gesture they were a historical connection all three countries shared even if the c

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by MrKaos ( 858439 )

      I'll also point out that Antares [wikipedia.org], a Ukrainian rocket, with Russian engines and a US built second stage, successfully launched a day or so ago.

      So, yeah, fuck war - we've got better things to do.

  • Man of the Year (Score:5, Insightful)

    by PopeRatzo ( 965947 ) on Sunday February 27, 2022 @10:02PM (#62310319) Journal

    Vladimir Putin achieved what I thought was impossible: He united Europe, strengthened NATO, turned a TV comedian into an inspirational hero and symbol of courage and leadership, and set Russia back decades. He exposed the Republican Fifth Column in the US and all the Fox News Tokyo Roses and Lord Haw Haws.

    He showed the world that patriots fight to defend their own capitol and traitors fight to attack their own capitol. And maybe, just maybe, having leaders who are syphilitic narcissists is not that great of an idea. He gave the world a wake-up call on what happens when nationalistic faux-populism and macho posturing meet emotional insecurity and attempt to take the mantle of political leadership.

  • From what I can see online. The plane was stationed in Antonov airport, which was taken by Russia early on but because there was no air superiority established Russia were unable to hold it and Ukraine forces took it back. Seems Ukraine decided the airstrip was more of a military liability than a military asset and destroyed it. The plane Itself was too big and too much of a target to actually be useful to ukraine. If the airspace gets clear again there will be plenty of cargo planes able to fly in relief t

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