The world's largest cargo plane, the Ukrainian-made Antonov-225 Mriya, has been badly damaged at Hostomel airport near Kyiv.

"The Russian occupiers destroyed the flagship of Ukrainian aviation - the legendary An-225 Mriya. It happened at the Antonov airfield in Hostomel near Kyiv," Ukrainian arms manufacturer Ukroboronprom said on its Facebook page.

The claim has not been independently verified.

It also said that the plane, which has the world's largest wingspan at 88m and a maximum takeoff weight around 640 tonnes, would need $3 billion of work to be repaired.