A Russian company has awarded 15 million rubles (approximately $190,000) to a dozen servicemen for taking down F-16 fighter jets manufactured in the U.S. during the conflict in Ukraine.
Fores, a supplier of fracking components based in Yekaterinburg, announced on Friday that it distributed the cash awards to military personnel at a site close to the Russian-Ukrainian border. Photos from the event revealed that the faces of the soldiers were blurred for privacy.
Ukraine received its initial shipment of F-16s last summer, following a two-year effort to obtain them from former U.S. President Joe Biden, who had been hesitant to send the aircraft initially due to concerns regarding pilot training requirements.
In August 2024, Kyiv reported that one F-16 was lost in a Russian missile strike, resulting in the death of its pilot.
Another pilot flying an F-16 was killed during a mission on April 12. The next day, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that its air defense systems had successfully shot down the aircraft.
Fores has positioned itself as the first Russian firm to provide monetary rewards to military personnel for the destruction of Western military equipment.
As of now, the company states it has issued a total of 52.4 million rubles (around $665,400) in bounties for the elimination of Western-supplied Leopard 2 tanks, Abrams tanks, and the initial F-16.
In early 2023, Fores announced rewards of up to 5 million rubles for the destruction of Western tanks, while CEO Sergei Shmotiyev introduced incentives for downing F-16s later in 2024.
