The Antonov An-225 Mriya, the world's heaviest and largest aircraft by many measures, first flew in December 1988. It was originally designed to transport the Soviet Buran space shuttle. The An-225 became a symbol of Soviet heavy-lift capability and was used for transporting oversized cargo until its destruction in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The An-225 was a symbol of Soviet engineering might and a product of the Cold War space race, inspiring awe and fascination in aviation enthusiasts and writers. Its immense size and strategic purpose made it a subject for poetry and literature about the extremes of human technological ambition. Its destruction in the war in Ukraine turned it into a tragic symbol of loss.