Ukraine has promised a reward of up to one million dollars to Russian army personnel who manage to move military equipment to Ukraine.
Mikko Leppänen,
Paula Tapiola
The helicopter pilot who defected from Russia to Ukraine will be paid a reward of 500,000 dollars, or about 465,000 euros, said the spokesperson of the Ukrainian military intelligence Andrii Yusov yesterday tuesday The Kiev Independent – according to the online magazine.
Ukrainian media reported that the 28-year-old Maxim Kuzminov from defecting a couple of weeks ago.
The pilot said at a press conference in Kiev that he defected because he did not want to participate in the crimes of Russian forces in Ukraine. He said that he himself contacted the representatives of Ukraine. He had been promised security guarantees, a reward and new identity papers for defecting.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said the intelligence had helped the pilot fly a Mil Mi-8 transport helicopter to Ukraine and land at the agreed airport. The basis of the reward paid to the pilot is precisely the transportation of the helicopter to Ukraine.
Ukraine has promised a reward of up to one million dollars to Russian military personnel who manage to transfer military equipment or supplies to Ukraine. The amount of the fee depends on the value of the equipment transported. The Ukrainian parliament enacted a law on remuneration in April 2022, The Kiev Independent reports.
The defected helicopter pilot served in a helicopter regiment in Primorsky District, the southernmost part of the Russian Far East in Asia. Neither the pilot nor Ukrainian intelligence said where in Russia the pilot and crew set off.
The other two crew members of the helicopter did not know about the pilot’s plan to defect. When the helicopter landed in Ukraine, the rest of the crew refused to surrender. Ukrainian forces killed them.
The helicopter pilot said his parents supported his plan. The parents have also been transported to Ukraine, The Kiev Independent reports.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine published an interview video about the pilot yesterday, Tuesday. It shows Ukrainian soldiers approaching a Russian helicopter.
Source: AFP