Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with helicopter gets $500,000 reward

A Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with a Mi-8 helicopter will receive a substantial reward of half a million dollars for changing sides and taking Russia’s military equipment with him.

Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesman, Andriy Yusov, said on Ukrainian television on Tuesday that the money would be paid in the national currency, the hryvnia, and called on other Russian military personnel to follow suit and defect to Kyiv’s side.