The world's largest cargo plane, Ukraine's Antonov An-225 Mriya, was destroyed by Russian forces during the "special military operation" in Ukraine, said Ukraine's state defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom, which manages Antonov, on Sunday on Telegram.

The aircraft was destroyed in an attack by Russian troops on the Hostomel airport outside Kiev, and restoration of the plane would cost an estimated $3 billion over five years, Ukroboronprom added.

A tweet from the Antonov Company said there has been no independent confirmation of the aircraft's destruction, and it could not verify the "technical condition" of the aircraft until it had been inspected by experts.

The An-225 Mriya, designed and built in the 1980s by the Kiev-based Antonov company, is the longest and the heaviest airplane ever built. It first took flight in 1988 and has been in service ever since.

Powered by six turbofan engines, the airplane has a maximum payload weight of 250 tonnes. Boasting the largest wingspan of any airplane in operational service, the airplane enjoys a 84-meter long captain, with a 88.4-meter wingspan and a height of 18.1 meters.

The An-225 enjoys worldwide popularity in the aviation world as it often draws large crowds wherever it goes, especially at air shows. 

It has also helped airlift aid for other countries, transporting medical supplies to affected areas during the early days of the COVID pandemic and delivering relief supplies to the Dominican Republic in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.