State Security Service: officials did not take appropriate measures to preserve An-225 Mriya

The Security Service of Ukraine made public preliminary conclusions regarding the investigation into the circumstances of the destruction of the plane AN-225 Mriya.

State Security Service employees, together with representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office, conducted a number of searches as part of the relevant criminal proceedings.

The investigation established that officials, despite the warnings of state authorities, did not take adequate measures to preserve the plane.

Also, individual employees of the enterprise for a long time prevented the Defense Forces from organizing anti-aircraft and ground protection of the airport. All this led to the destruction of An-225 and several other aircraft.

During the identification of persons guilty of subversive activities against Ukraine, the facts of other crimes were also discovered. The former general director of Antonov State Enterprise (probably refers to Serhii Bychkov) was exposed for organizing the illegal transportation abroad of Ukrainians of draft age.

According to the investigation, in March 2022, the official submitted to the State Border Service a list of employees traveling abroad for aircraft maintenance. But he included unauthorized persons in the group on a business trip. Among them is his close relative. Thus, evaders were able to cross the border under the guise of aircraft construction specialists.

Comprehensive measures are underway to establish all the circumstances of the criminal actions of the person involved and other persons responsible for the destruction of AN-225 Mriya. The pre-trial investigation is conducted by State Security Service investigators under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General’s Office.