$2M bounty for Russian MiG just 'legend.' But one chopper drew $500K from Ukraine: Updates

A Ukraine Defense Ministry spokesman on Monday dismissed as "legend" claims the military will pay $2 million to any Russian pilot to deliver an MiG fighter jet to Ukraine.

But Andriy Yusov did tell Radio Svoboda there "will be a reward."

The Defense Ministry's "I want to live" initiative encourages Russian soldiers to give themselves up and avoid death on the battlefield. The program's biggest get was operation Sinitsa, which lured Russian pilot Maksym Kuzminov, 28, into flying a Russian Mi-8 helicopter to Ukraine. Defense ministry officials said his reward was about $500,000.

"After the successful operation Sinitsa ... the number of servicemen of the Russian army who are considering a similar scenario for themselves has increased," Yusov said.

Kim Jong Un and Putin: N. Korea leader reportedly hops on his bulletproof, drab green train for meeting with Putin

Developments:

∎ Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin congratulated Rustem Umerov on his appointment as Ukraine defense minister. Lloyd reiterated the steadfast U.S. support for Ukraine and provided an update on security assistance, the Pentagon said in a statement.

∎ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his address to the nation Sunday night, said his military had advanced over the past week. "It is Ukrainian heroism that determines how this war will end," he said. "We must all remember this."

∎ Ukraine Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces took back about 2 square miles of occupied territory in the south, including part of the volatile Donetsk region, over the past week.

US may soon send Ukraine rangier, more potent cluster bombs

Ukraine's success using U.S.-provided cluster munitions has prompted the Biden administration to strongly consider sending Kyiv such weapons with more than twice the range and more than six times the capacity, Reuters reported, saying approval is expected soon.

The new cluster bombs would allow Ukrainian forces to strike considerably deeper and with more force into Russian-occupied land. They're currently using 155 mm artillery that can travel up to 18 miles and carry a maximum of 48 bomblets.

The weapons under consideration, Reuters reported, are Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) that can deliver 300-plus bomblets up to 190 miles, and Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System missiles with a 45-mile range capable of dropping 400 cluster munitions.

Either one or both are an option and could be sent to Ukraine in short order, Reuters said, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

Clock running out for Ukraine counteroffensive

Ukraine has about 45 days to press its counteroffensive before weather hinders the military effort crucial to Kyiv's long-term goal of driving the invading Russians out of all occupied territory, a top U.S general says. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the BBC the cold would make it more difficult for Ukrainian forces to maneuver. He also conceded the counteroffensive has proceeded less rapidly than expected but added that Ukraine's military was "still plugging away with steady progress." Milley said it was too early to determine whether the counteroffensive was successful.

"The Ukrainians aren't done," he said. "I said at the very beginning of this that this was going to be long, slow, hard and high-casualty-producing. And that's exactly what it is."

Kremlin expects Russians who fled will return home

Russians who left the country at the start of the war will begin returning as the economy grows stronger, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with RBC. Peskov said "negative economic trends" in nations where his countrymen set up residence may also help drive them home. And he said Russia' economy was strong "given what the collective West has been trying to do to us."

Estimates on the number of Russians who left since the invasion began in February 2022 have varied widely, from 300,000 to more than 1 million.

"In economic terms we are doing quite well," Peskov said. "We certainly have difficulties. We have problems. We can't help but feel these problems on ourselves, given the unfriendly atmosphere around us. I mean what the countries of the collective West have been trying to do to us. But despite this, we still demonstrate very good parameters."

Putin, North Korea's Kim to meet

A luxury armored train believed to be carrying Kim Jong Un appeared to depart Pyongyang on Monday for Vladivostok, Russia, where the reclusive North Korean leader may rendezvous with President Vladimir Putin. South Korean state media reported that the train Kim uses, bulletproof but notoriously slow possibly because of its weight, left North Korea. The Kremlin confirmed in a statement that Kim would visit Russia "in the coming days."

The White House has said it was expecting a meeting between the two leaders this month as Moscow looks to its ally from the Soviet era to help it rearm for its war in Ukraine. The meeting could take place as early as Tuesday. It would be Kim's first overseas trip in more than four years. Read more here.

− Kim Hjelmgaard

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine updates: Will Ukraine pay $2M for a Russian fighter jet