It was destroyed as Russian forces fought to seize the airport in late February, 2022, in a major symbolic blow to Ukraine as it sought to prevent Kyiv falling. The Russian military held the area for several weeks before Ukrainian armed forces claimed it back. "We are conducting a fair investigation of this case.

The Antonov An-225 Mriya, the world's largest cargo aircraft, was destroyed in late February 2022 during the Battle of Antonov Airport (also known as Hostomel Airport) at the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The airport was a primary strategic target for Russian paratroopers attempting to establish an airbridge near Kyiv. The aircraft was parked in a hangar for maintenance at the time of the assault. During the intense fighting between Russian airborne forces and Ukrainian defenders, the hangar and the aircraft sustained catastrophic fire and structural damage. The destruction of the "Mriya" (meaning "Dream") was seen as a significant symbolic and cultural loss for Ukraine and the global aviation community, as it was a one-of-a-kind engineering marvel capable of transporting payloads that no other aircraft could handle.