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Russian Company Pays $165,000 Bounty for Downing Ukraine’s First F-16 Fighter Jet
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![Amira_barkhush]( "Photo of Amira Barkhush")
Russian soldiers who reportedly downed an American-made F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine have been awarded a total of 15 million rubles (around $165,000), according to a May 29 announcement by the press service of the Russian company FORES.
The award ceremony was held in a border area, attended by military commanders. Twelve servicemen received cash certificates for their alleged role in destroying the aircraft. FORES noted that Russia’s Defense Ministry officially confirmed the downing of Ukraine’s first F-16 on April 13, 2025.
FORES announced in June 2024 that it would pay 15 million rubles to Russian servicemen who downed the first F-16 fighter jet supplied to Ukraine.
The company also offers financial rewards for destroying Western-supplied tanks, including Abrams and Leopard 2 models. According to FORES, the bounty for the first such tank was 5 million rubles, with subsequent payouts set at 500,000 rubles per vehicle.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, FORES says it has paid out a total of 52.4 million rubles to soldiers and families of the deceased.
The FORES company in Russia is a prominent manufacturer specializing in proppants and microspheres, essential materials used in the oil and gas industry.
On April 12, it was reported that Ukrainian Air Force pilot Pavlo Ivanov was killed during a combat mission on an F-16 fighter jet.
This was the second fatal incident involving F-16s in Ukraine. In August 2024, an F-16 pilot, Oleksii Mes, call sign “Moonfish,” died during an aerial interception of a Russian attack. A Ministry of Defense commission also investigated that case.
On May 16, the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet crashing in the early hours of May 16 while repelling a Russian air assault.
