Russia Offers $190K Reward to Soldiers for Downing F-16 Fighters in Ukraine

A Russian firm has awarded a group of servicemen a total of 15 million rubles (approximately $190,000) for the destruction of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine.

Fores, a supplier of fracking components based in Yekaterinburg, announced on Friday that it distributed these cash prizes to military personnel at a site close to the Russian-Ukrainian border. Photos from the award ceremony showed the soldiers’ faces pixelated for privacy.

Ukraine received its initial shipment of F-16s last summer after a two-year effort to obtain them from then-President Joe Biden, who had initially hesitated to supply the aircraft due to concerns regarding pilot training.

In August 2024, Kyiv reported that one F-16 had been destroyed during a Russian missile strike, resulting in the death of its pilot.

Another F-16 pilot lost his life during a combat operation on April 12. The following day, Russia’s Defense Ministry asserted that its air defense systems had brought down the fighter jet.

Fores has claimed to be the first Russian company to offer monetary incentives to military personnel for the destruction of Western military hardware.

So far, the company has reported paying out a total of 52.4 million rubles ($665,400) in rewards for the destruction of Western-supplied Leopard 2 and Abrams tanks, along with the initial F-16.

Fores initially announced bounties of up to 5 million rubles for destroying Western tanks in early 2023. CEO Sergei Shmotiyev later introduced cash rewards for the destruction of F-16s in 2024.