War in Ukraine: exchange of prisoners, Russia attentive to the fate of Zalouzhny, GLSDB bombs… update on the situation

Russian prisoners after the exchange with Ukraine. MAXPPP – RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE/HANDOUT

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Wednesday, January 31, 2024, discover the latest news around this conflict.

Russia attentive to the fate of the head of the Ukrainian army

Russia said on Wednesday that it was attentive to the fate of the head of the Ukrainian army, Valery Zaluzhny, following reports from Western and Ukrainian media according to which Volodimir Zelensky would seek to dismiss him.< /p>

Citing anonymous sources informed of the situation, these media reported that, during a meeting on Monday, the Ukrainian president had offered a new role to Valeri Zaluzhny but that the latter had refused. "Of course, we follow that", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "There are still many questions. (But) one thing is certain, the Kiev regime has a lot of problems, things are not going well there."

"It is obvious that the failure of the (Ukrainian) counter-offensive and the problems encountered on the front lead to growing contradictions between representatives of this Kiev regime. These contradictions will continue to grow as the (Russian) Special Military Operation in Ukraine continues to record successes."

Prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine after plane crash near Belgorod

Russia and Ukraine announced this Wednesday that they had carried out a new exchange of prisoners, an operation which comes after the crash last week of a Russian military plane which was transporting 65 Ukrainian soldiers in anticipation of a similar exchange, according to Moscow.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the two countries have carried out prisoner exchanges despite the absence of peace talks. Russia's Defense Ministry said each side received 195 troops in the latest exchange, while Ukraine said it had picked up 207 personnel. "Our people are back. 207 of them. We will bring them home no matter what", Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the social network X.

At the beginning of January, a previous large-scale operation had made it possible to exchange 478 prisoners. Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that Moscow will continue prisoner exchanges and that kyiv is ready to do the same. Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused Ukraine of using the US Patriot air defense system to shoot down the Russian military transport plane that crashed last week in the Belgorod region.

Russia says this Ilyushin Il-76 was carrying 74 people, including 65 Ukrainian soldiers who were to be handed over to Kiev as part of a prisoner exchange.

Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied having shot down this plane. She disputes the Russian version on the circumstances of the plane's fall and on the status of the passengers. "The plane was shot down, and this was definitively established by an American Patriot system – the analysis of experts has already established it", declared Vladimir Putin, calling for a international investigation be carried out.

Why are GLSDBs, these long-range glide bombs, so eagerly awaited by kyiv ?

As of this Wednesday, January 31, 2024, Ukraine could receive GLSDB, long-range bombs, which could change the defense strategy against its enemy, Russia.< /p>

This bomb is in reality the assembly of two weapons or systems, namely a 250-pound GBU-39 bomb (which is initially dropped from a bomber), and a 250-pound GBU-39 bomb (which is initially dropped from a bomber), and a 250-pound bomb. #39;an M26 rocket, which propels the latter.

When the GLSDB is sent to altitude, the bomb is released by the rocket. The latter deploys fins which allow it to glide to its target. As a result, this bomb would have an incredible range, up to 150 kilometers.

In addition, the GBU-39 is equipped with a GPS guidance system. This innovation is the product of Saab, which ensures that no enemy electronic tool is capable of defeating it. But the effectiveness of this system does not stop there. It allows you to reach your objective with a precision of 3 meters and can also pursue moving targets such as ships, details the magazine Géo.

Moscow accidentally bombs two Russian villages for the fourth time this month

Russia accidentally bombed two of its villages located in the Russian border region of Belgorod on Saturday, January 27, 2024.

This is the fourth time this month that Russia has accidentally bombed two of its villages. These were located in the Russian border region of Belgorod, according to independent Russian media Astra.

As reported 7sur7.be, Russia reportedly sent two unguided FAB-250 bombs to its territory. The first fell on a farm in Postnikov and the second on a street in the village of Strelestkoje.

The cause of these incidents is unclear. It could be a procedural error in arming the planes or a pilot failure during the mission, according to the British Ministry of Defense.