Russian forces and its intelligence agencies failed to locate a massive Antonov An-124 Ruslan (NATO reporting name Condor) cargo aircraft hiding in Ukraine. Russian radars did not even pick up the lumbering plane when it took off and escaped the battle zone. The plane was on July 11 seen flying west over the skies of Ukraine's capital Kiev flying westward.
The plane, the largest military transport aircraft in service, is reported to have landed unscathed in Germany's Liepzig, about 794 miles (1,278 kilometers), west of Kiev. It is a corgo plane but what it carried or who all were on board remains a mystery.
Even though the the airspace over large parts of Ukraine has been under Russian fire for over three years, the An-124 Ruslan was able to lumber away to safety without facing any obstacle. Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the skies over Kiev have been closed to all civilian flights. Russian military has regularly pounded Kiev with missiles, drones, and glode bombs as part of its offensive.
The Ukrainian General Staff Chat Telegram channel confirmed that the plane had escaped to Germany. “An-124-100 reg UR-82073 is being evacuated from Svyatoshino, where it has been standing since the beginning of the full scale war,” it posted on Telegram.
The AN-124's bigger and the world largest aircraft, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, was destroyed inside a hanger at Hostomel Airport during the battle. The AN-124 Condor survived as it was based at Svyatoshino airport, which the Russian forces failed to destroy.
After hiding at Svyatoshino airport for over 41 months, the AN-124 finally managed to leave Ukraine and reach Germany safely. Ukraine had seven AN-124s in service before the war with Russia, which also flies 12 of them.
But the AN-124's escape to Germany also raises serious questions about the Russian claims of success in the battlefield. Its fighter jets like the Sukhoi Su-35 and MiG-31 as well as Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft failed to locate the AN-124.
“A sad event, of course. For our intelligence first and foremost. The sad thing here is not that the An-124 arrived, but that it was able to leave intact and unharmed. It arrived, of course, at night, later, when our agents are asleep. There are literally only a couple of airfields in Ukraine capable of receiving and dispatching an aircraft of this size. Organizing surveillance over them is a sacred duty of any intelligence service. Of any country. Moreover, it stayed there for far more than an hour. And we have plenty of means to strike it at any airfield," Russian Fighterbomber Telegram channel posted.
Manned by a eight-crew members which includes a pilot, copilot, navigator, chief flight engineer, electrical flight engineer, radio operator, two loadmasters, the AN-124 can also carry 88 passengers in upper aft fuselage, or 350 people on a palletised seating system.
Pro-Russian Telegram channels and some media outlets claimed the AN-124 in question took off from Ukraine's Dnipro, as the region was in line for a major offensive. However, the plane when seen over the skies of Kiev had its landing gear active and it was climbing, which shows that aircraft had taken off from a nearby airport.
The plane, the largest military transport aircraft in service, is reported to have landed unscathed in Germany's Liepzig, about 794 miles (1,278 kilometers), west of Kiev. It is a corgo plane but what it carried or who all were on board remains a mystery.
Even though the the airspace over large parts of Ukraine has been under Russian fire for over three years, the An-124 Ruslan was able to lumber away to safety without facing any obstacle. Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the skies over Kiev have been closed to all civilian flights. Russian military has regularly pounded Kiev with missiles, drones, and glode bombs as part of its offensive.
The Ukrainian General Staff Chat Telegram channel confirmed that the plane had escaped to Germany. “An-124-100 reg UR-82073 is being evacuated from Svyatoshino, where it has been standing since the beginning of the full scale war,” it posted on Telegram.
Where was the AN-124 hiding?
According to The War Zone, the AN-124 with the tail number UR-82073, was based at the Svyatoshino airport, the headquarters of the Antonov Serial Production Plant, in Kyiv. It survived the Russian attacks on the Ukranian capital and the complete destruction of Hostomel Airport in the early February 2022.The AN-124's bigger and the world largest aircraft, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, was destroyed inside a hanger at Hostomel Airport during the battle. The AN-124 Condor survived as it was based at Svyatoshino airport, which the Russian forces failed to destroy.
After hiding at Svyatoshino airport for over 41 months, the AN-124 finally managed to leave Ukraine and reach Germany safely. Ukraine had seven AN-124s in service before the war with Russia, which also flies 12 of them.
But the AN-124's escape to Germany also raises serious questions about the Russian claims of success in the battlefield. Its fighter jets like the Sukhoi Su-35 and MiG-31 as well as Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft failed to locate the AN-124.
“A sad event, of course. For our intelligence first and foremost. The sad thing here is not that the An-124 arrived, but that it was able to leave intact and unharmed. It arrived, of course, at night, later, when our agents are asleep. There are literally only a couple of airfields in Ukraine capable of receiving and dispatching an aircraft of this size. Organizing surveillance over them is a sacred duty of any intelligence service. Of any country. Moreover, it stayed there for far more than an hour. And we have plenty of means to strike it at any airfield," Russian Fighterbomber Telegram channel posted.
Manned by a eight-crew members which includes a pilot, copilot, navigator, chief flight engineer, electrical flight engineer, radio operator, two loadmasters, the AN-124 can also carry 88 passengers in upper aft fuselage, or 350 people on a palletised seating system.
Pro-Russian Telegram channels and some media outlets claimed the AN-124 in question took off from Ukraine's Dnipro, as the region was in line for a major offensive. However, the plane when seen over the skies of Kiev had its landing gear active and it was climbing, which shows that aircraft had taken off from a nearby airport.
