Russia Pays $165,000 Bounty to Troops for Downing Ukraine’s First F-16

A Russian company has paid a cash reward of 15 million rubles—roughly $165,000—to a group of soldiers who reportedly shot down Ukraine’s first American-made F-16 fighter jet.

The payment, announced on May 29 by the Russian company FORES, was made during a military ceremony in a Russian border region and awarded to 12 servicemen who participated in the operation.

FORES stated that the downing occurred on April 13 and has been officially confirmed by Russia’s Defense Ministry.

A High-Priced First

FORES, a Russian manufacturer that typically deals in oil and gas industry materials, had previously pledged a bounty for the first confirmed kill of a Western-supplied F-16. The aircraft—long requested by Kyiv—represents a major upgrade in Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.

FORES first introduced the bounty in June 2024, offering 15 million rubles for the first downed F-16 and smaller rewards for other Western-supplied military hardware, including tanks like the U.S.-made Abrams and Germany’s Leopard 2.

The company also noted it has distributed a total of 52.4 million rubles in rewards to Russian troops and families of those killed in action since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

Confirmed Ukrainian Losses

The downing of the F-16 is part of a broader and costly effort by Ukraine to modernize its military, relying on international support.

On April 12, Ukrainian pilot Pavlo Ivanov reportedly died while flying an F-16 on a combat mission.

A second fatal F-16 incident was reported in August 2024, when pilot Oleksii Mes—known by the call sign “Moonfish”—was killed during an interception mission.

The most recent F-16 loss was reported on May 16, when Ukraine’s Air Force Command confirmed that one of its jets crashed while repelling a Russian air attack.

Details surrounding the crash remain under investigation, and Ukrainian officials have not publicly confirmed the April 13 shoot-down cited by Russia.