“Mriya” wreckage used to create jewellery collection “oMriya’s revenge”: all proceeds will go to DIU
30 April 2024 15:33
The wreckage of the AN-225 Mriya aircraft destroyed by the occupiers has been turned into jewellery in the charity collection ‘oMriya’s Revenge’. All proceeds from the sale will go to help the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The campaign was initiated by Galina Almazova, a servicewoman in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and defender of Gostomel, TV presenter Tatyana Goncharova and the Kozak Drive charity foundation. The project was developed for the “Fire does not bake the fierce” charity.
“Everyone who buys the jewellery will not only wear a piece of Mriya near their hearts, but will also contribute to the revenge for our shattered dreams and taken lives,” the statement reads,
– the statement reads.
The goal is to raise funds for special equipment to enhance the effectiveness of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine’s technical intelligence as part of the ongoing project “Blowing the wind to the enemy”.
The limited edition of the “Mriya’s Revenge” jewellery featuring the wreckage of the destroyed Mriya fuselage includes 2 brooches-artifacts – a Turbine and an Aircraft. They are a continuation of the story of the majestic aircraft that crashed on 27 February 2022 in Gostomel.
The Aircraft brooch reproduces the silhouette of Mriya. The design uses the most recognisable angle of the aircraft, as it was seen at presentations and captured in photographs around the world. The authors added a trident-shaped limb to the design. The brooch’s run is symbolic – 225 units.
The “Turbine” brooch refers to the giant’s unique feature – 6 engines, which he used to look at the world with. These engines made Mriya the most powerful civilian transport aircraft in the world. The production run is also limited to 1000 units.
A piece of the fuselage of the legendary aircraft was donated to the unique collection by paramedic Galina Almazova, who, together with her unit, repelled fierce attacks on the airport and took care of the wounded.
“When I left Gostomel, I didn’t know what would happen next, but I was prepared for anything. At the last moment, I took with me small pieces of a large plane as the heart of the whole of Ukraine. As a doctor, I wanted to keep it pulsating, to do at least something to keep the plane alive, to keep our dream alive,”
– Halyna recalls.
In September 2023, in an interview with Tetiana Honcharova, she spoke about Antonov’s defence and the desire to give the wreckage a second life and the opportunity to work for victory. This was the beginning of a joint project.
“While preparing the project, we read a lot of testimonies about what Mriya was for its creators. Despite everything, she was born on Ukrainian soil and was a Ukrainian dream. And at the moment of her death, she became for many people not just a symbol, but a loved one. For whose death you want to take revenge. Now Mriya continues in the dreams of Ukrainians – about victory, the desire to live on their land and be called Ukrainians,”
– said Goncharova, co-author of the project.
The brooches were designed jointly by art director Maryna Frolova and the Karpenko Jewelry brand. This choice was not accidental, as the owner of the brand is a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who is fighting for our dream revenge to take place and for Ukraine to win.
“These fragments of Mriya are the carriers of history, superhuman strength and faith that were born in the battle for Antonov. And when we touch them as a team, it’s as if we are connecting to the source. While working on the collection, I dreamed that those who contribute to our Victory could feel it too,”
– says Maryna, co-author of “Dream Revenge”.
You can buy unique jewellery and join the “oMriana Pomcha” project on the brand’s website.
For reference:
The AN-225 Mriya is the world’s largest aircraft of Ukrainian origin, created in 1988 to meet the transport needs of the Soviet space programme by the Kyiv-based Antonov Design Bureau.
After the collapse of the USSR, it was only in the late 1990s that the mothballed AN-225 was reconstructed and put back into service for intercontinental cargo transportation for a wide range of purposes.
The first flight of the restored Mriya took place on 7 May 2001. Since then, the aircraft has broken more than 200 world records, operated commercial flights to transport unusually large cargo, transported humanitarian aid to all continents except Antarctica, and since the start of the coronavirus pandemic has been delivering medicines, medical equipment and protective equipment around the world.
On the morning of 24 February 2022, just 30 minutes before the first Russian landing attempt, Mriya was transported to the hangar at Gostomel Airport. That was the last time the legendary aircraft was seen intact. Just 3 days later, on 27 February, after the main battle for the airport was over, the terrible news spread around the world that the plane had been destroyed.
