Ukraine says Russia defector pilot to get $850,000

In Ukraine, a Russian pilot who defected and handed over a Mi-8 helicopter to the country’s armed forces is to receive a bonus of half a million US dollars.

Military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov said on television today that the sum of $US500,000 ($NZ850,000) would be paid in the Ukrainian currency, the hryvnia.

He called on other Russian military personnel to follow suit.

The case of the 28-year-old Russian, Maksym Kuzminov, 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…