Here are two pieces of jewellery created as a part of ‘The Dream of Revenge’ project using the fragments of Mriya (translated as ‘Dream’) aircraft fuselage. The great story of this majestic plane, which ended on February 27, 2022 in Gostomel, will now live on in these symbolic brooches and help fight the enemy. All proceeds from the sales will be used to purchase special equipment for the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.
By participating in the project, you get an original limited-edition piece of jewellery and a piece of Ukrainian history; you also help those who are preventing the destruction of Ukraine and Ukrainians.
‘While preparing this project, we read a lot of testimonies about what Mriya meant to its creators. Despite her Soviet heritage and service in the Soviet aircraft industry, she was born on Ukrainian soil and was a Ukrainian dream. She survived the collapse of the Soviet Union and died on the path of the nation’s self-assertion, giving her life for the freedom of Ukraine.
For many people, the moment she was destroyed, she became not just a symbol, but a family member. Whose death you want to avenge. Now ‘Mriya’ continues to live in the dreams of Ukrainians: the dreams of victory, the desire to defend themselves, the desire to live on their land, the desire to be called Ukrainians,’ says Tetiana Goncharova, co-creator of “The Dream of Revenge”.
Ukrainian-made AN-225 Mriya is the world’s largest aircraft that was 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 1990’s when the conserved AN-225 was restored and put back into operation for intercontinental transportation of general cargo.
The first flight of the restored Mriya took place on the 7th of May 2001. From that time on, the aircraft has set over 200 world records, operated commercial flights carrying oversized cargo, transported humanitarian aid to all continents except Antarctica, and with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic has delivered medicines, medical and protective equipment around the world.
On the morning of February 24, 2022, Mriya, which was undergoing scheduled maintenance at Gostomel Airport at the time, was moved to a hangar literally 30 minutes before the first attempt of the Russian assault troops landing. That has been the last time the legendary aircraft was seen intact. Just 3 days later, on the 27th of February, after the main battle for the airport was over, the terrible news spread around the world that the plane had been destroyed.
But it is impossible to destroy the Ukrainian dream by destroying the largest Ukrainian aircraft in the world.
‘When I left Gostomel, not knowing what would happen next, preparing for the worst, I took the small fragments of a large plane as if it was the heart of the whole of Ukraine. As a doctor, I wanted to preserve its pulsation, to do at least something to keep the plane alive, to keep our dream alive,’ recalls Halyna Almazova.
The project was initiated by Tetiana Goncharova, Kozak Drive, and Halyna Almazova, a defender of Gostomel and a servicewoman of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, with the participation of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and “The Fire Does Not Burn The Hardened” Charity Fund. The fragments of the legendary aircraft used in the jewellery were donated to the project by Halyna from her own archive.
In the first hours of the full-scale invasion, the former racer, auto rally champion, and now a junior lieutenant in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, went with her unit to Gostomel, where she spent the worst days of the attack on the airport, evacuating and taking in the wounded. When the main battle was over and the reinforcements entered the Antonov airport, Halyna and her unit were redeployed to defend the Kyiv airport (Zhulyany).
Later, in June 2024, during an interview with Tetiana Goncharova, the paramedic told this story about the defence of the Antonov airport, the Mriya and Ruslan airplanes, the fragments and her desire to see them serve to further defend Ukraine. And this marked the beginning of the project. It is symbolic that Halyna’s call sign is “Viterets” (meaning “Breeze”), and her impulse will help the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine to send the enemy a powerful blow of the dreamed revenge.
The original idea was to have only one piece of jewellery – a large brooch in the shape of a recognisable aircraft silhouette, with a tiny piece of Mriya’s fragment embedded in it. A total of 225 units, like the number on the fuselage. But in the process of creating the design, the team realised that much more than 225 people would want to wear a part of history close to their hearts. That is why there are now two pieces of jewellery – a unique-numbered and expressive Aircraft and a minimalistic Turbine.
Karpenko Jewelry was chosen as a jewellery manufacturer. Its designer and owner is an active military serviceman who is fighting right now to ensure that our dream of revenge comes true and Ukraine wins.
‘The story of the battle for Antonov airport, in which Mriya was an integral part, is a story about tremendous, almost superhuman strength and faith. Faith that we would prevail when all hope seemed lost. For me, touching the shard means touching that strength and building faith within myself. And while working on the jewellery I dreamt that people would be able to feel it too. That’s why there are now two jewellery pieces, that’s why the fragments are not hidden, but placed on the front of the brooches,’ says Maryna Frolova, co-creator of The Dream of Revenge.
The Dream of Revenge project team: Tetyana Goncharova, Maryna Frolova, Anastasiia Voitkevych
Idea: Tetyana Goncharova, Maryna Frolova
Jewellery design: Maryna Frolova in collaboration with Karpenko Jewelry
Packaging design and general art direction: Kseniia Metlytska
Video production: Andriy Kalan
Photo: Oleksandr Sakhnenko
Special thanks: Halyna ‘Viterets’ Almazova, Olena Machynska, Kozak Drive, “The Fire Does Not Burn The Hardened” Charity Fund, Svitlana Melnychenko.
The project was implemented by the team entirely on a pro bono basis.
The jewellery was commissioned by “The Fire Does Not Burn The Hardened” Charity Fund, which is accredited by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. The fragments were handed over to the manufacturer by a Gostomel defender, a servicewoman and now Vice President of the Pirogov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital, People’s Hero of Ukraine Halyna Almazova.
All proceeds from the sale of the jewellery will be donated to a fund for purchasing special equipment and software that will help to increase the scale and improve the quality of technical intelligence of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.
