Russian company announces reward for 1st F-16 fighter jet downed in Ukraine

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - A Russian company announced a reward of 15 million rubles ($169,000) for shooting down the first F-16 fighter jet that Western countries plan to supply to Ukraine.

Sergey Shmotyev, the head of the Fores company that specializes in the production of equipment in the oil industry, told the Russian state news agency, TASS, that his company also allocated money for paying bonuses for the destruction of Western-made tanks.

"We announced a bonus for the destruction of the F-16 fighter jets, if such aircraft are delivered to Kyiv. Also, those guys who destroy tanks supplied by Western countries to Ukraine receive payments. We paid 5 million rubles for the first tank, and 500,000 rubles for all subsequent ones," he said.

Dutch authorities announced last year that they plan to transfer 24 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, which can be used for strikes against Russia.

In addition, by the end of 2028, Ukraine is expected to receive 19 F-16 aircraft from Denmark and 30 from Belgium.