World's largest cargo aircraft may be destroyed during Russian invasion: Ukraine

"This was the world’s largest aircraft, AN-225 ‘Mriya’ (‘Dream’ in Ukrainian). Russia may have destroyed our ‘Mriya’. But they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state. We shall prevail!" Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.

The plane was designed and built during the final years of the Soviet Union. It is so big the plane's cargo hold is as long as the Wright brothers’ first flight, BBC reported.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued orders to introduce a "special service regime" in the Russian army’s deterrence force which means he has put on high alert his country’s deterrence forces – which includes nuclear arms.

."Top officials in NATO’s leading countries have been making aggressive statements against our country. For this reason, I give orders to the defense minister and chief of the General Staff to introduce a special combat service regime in the Russian army’s deference forces," Putin told a meeting with Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov in the Kremlin on Sunday.

Putin stressed that the Western countries were also taking unfriendly actions against Russia in the economic sphere, reported Tass."I am referring to the illegitimate sanctions, which are very well-known to everybody," he said.