Not wishing to be too pedantic but the Antonovs are actually Ukrainian rather than Russian - both the design bureau and the factory are in Kiev, Ukraine.

Having said that the design is from the old Soviet Union days. The An124 described here, like it's huge An22 propeller-driven predecessor, was designed to cart Soviet ICBMs around the country. Strange how the new world leads to it ending up as the best hauler of outsize cargoes now available, they roam the world with their Ukrainian crews. The Formula One motor racing teams move on from country to country each week with their cars and all associated logistics using them, and they also get used as noted above bringing British-made Rolls-Royce aircraft engines to the Boeing plant at Seattle.