Tuesday, July 16, 2024, 11:26 p.m
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A huge reward for the downing of the first F-16 fighter (Fighting Falcon) in the sky of Ukraine has been announced in Russia, according to EFE and RBC.ru, which cites the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The sum amounts to 15 million rubles, about 170,000 dollars.
This financial reward will be paid by the Russian company FORES, specialized in the production of machinery and equipment for the oil industry, not by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
“Rewards will also be given to those who shoot down the next F-16 or F-15 in the area of the special military operation” in Ukraine, said the deputy executive director of the Russian FORES company, Ilia Potanin, without specifying what amounts it’s about.
However, he wanted to specify that the largest reward – of 170,000 – will be awarded only for the first F-16 shot down in Ukraine.
The Russian businessman announced the reward for downed Western jets during a ceremony awarding Russian soldiers for destroying several Western-made tanks in the Avdeevka sector in eastern Ukraine.
“Today, for the seventh time, we awarded rewards for destroyed tanks. It turned out that about 17 American-made Abrams and German-made Leopard tanks were destroyed. Thus, we awarded 500,000 rubles (approximately 5,196 euros) for each armored,” said Potanin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday urged Kiev’s Western partners to increase the planned number of F-16 fighter jets they have pledged to deliver by the end of the year so that Ukraine can compete with Russian aviation .
Ukraine is to receive six F-16 fighter jets in the coming months.
Russia has warned that these planes will be legitimate targets for its forces once they appear in the combat zone.
Source: ziare.com
