In Belgorod, reports indicate that a Ukrainian air defense strike brought down an Il-76 transport aircraft using three missiles. The update came from Andrei Kartapolov, who chairs the State Duma Defense Committee, and was carried by RIA Novosti. The account frames the incident as part of a broader exchange process that involved Ukrainian leadership and details about the transfer of prisoners. Kartapolov attributed the strike to missiles fired from either the Patriot system or the German-made IRIS-T, while noting that the precise missile type would be confirmed in due course.
Early on the morning of January 24, authorities reported a deadly event in the Korochansky district of the Belgorod region. Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed that investigators and emergency ministry personnel had arrived at the scene and were actively working the incident area, with Gladkov himself visiting the site to oversee the response.
Later, a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry indicated there were 65 Ukrainian military personnel aboard the aircraft, including six crew members and three others who were reportedly accompanying them. The people on board were allegedly being transferred to the Belgorod region as part of an exchange arrangement, according to the Defense Ministry’s briefing.
There was also mention from Kremlin circles that the incident appeared to be recent, with no immediate update given to the Russian president regarding the unfolding events at that moment. In related disclosures, earlier reports had suggested that the pilot of another aircraft, a plane carrying Russian personnel that crashed in Afghanistan, could face a potential prison sentence of up to ten years.
Across the region and into neighboring territories, officials and observers are monitoring the situation closely, as authorities continue to confirm the chain of events, the personnel involved, and the terms of any ongoing exchanges. The incident highlights the fragility of frontline operations and the high stakes involved in prisoner swaps, with both sides often citing security concerns and logistical complexities in these sensitive efforts.
Analysts note that this sequence of events may influence subsequent military and diplomatic calculations in the region. The information released thus far emphasizes the dual narratives of tactical air defense actions and the political considerations that accompany prisoner exchanges, with both governments weighing strategic consequences and humanitarian implications in parallel.