Kiev — In Ukraine, a Russian pilot who defected and handed over a Mi-8 helicopter to Kiev's armed forces is to receive a bonus of half a million dollars.
Military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov said on television on Tuesday that the money would be paid in the national currency, the hryvnia. He called on other Russian military personnel to follow suit.
The case of the 28-year-old Russian, who is also a public figure, has been reported by Ukrainian media for days.
Ukraine has an official list of bonuses for military equipment that Russian soldiers can hand over. For a tank, for example, it is $100,000. In Russia, on the other hand, launch bonuses are paid for aircraft, tanks and other weapons.
" Ukraine is a democratic state under the rule of law. We fulfil our own obligations and international law," Yusov said. "Therefore, once again, those Russians who don't want to become war criminals, please, surrender, defect to the Ukrainian side and defend your own honour and conscience, fight against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's regime."
The secret service had persuaded the young man to defect in a special long operation.
According to the online news site Ukrainska Pravda, the helicopter landed in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. Two uninitiated members of the crew had been killed. The pilot was in Ukraine with his family, who had fled Russia earlier.
The helicopter, which was said to be carrying spare parts for Russian fighter jets, was also still in the country, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia's full-scale invasion for more than 18 months with Western military aid.
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