On April 11, 2010, a Tupolev Tu-154 Polish military aircraft struck a forest on the runway of a military airfield in Smolensk, Russia, which killed all 96 people on board and all of the crew members. It wasn't just any plane accident. It was the equivalent, in Poland, of Air Force One. On board were the President of Poland, Ryszard Kaczorowski, the head of the Polish General Staff, as well as other top Polish military officials, and the president of the National Bank of Poland, Polish government officials, as well as more than 18 members of the Polish Parliament. They were heading to a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the killing of more than 22,000 Polish military officers and other clergy, intellectuals, and other prominent Poles as a result of Stalin's NKVD.
Following the initial release of the report, additional investigation conducted by Poles found Russian participation in the incident.
Today, another one of those reports hit the fan.
The Polish Government Special Commission reaffirmed its earlier claims that the plane crash in 2010, which claimed the life of president Lech Kaczynski and a number of individuals in Russia, was an outcome of Moscow's plan to assassinate the president.
The most recent information from the commission's report, released on Monday, claims that an intentional detonation of explosives that were planted resulted in the April 10, 2010 crash of the Soviet-built Tu-154M plane, which killed Kaczynski as well as the first lady, and the other 94 people from the government and the armed forces along with a host of other notable Poles.
Their deaths were caused due to an “act of unlawful interference by the Russian side,” the head of the commission Antoni Macierewicz said at a press conference.
“The main and indisputable proof of the interference was an explosion in the left wing … followed by an explosion in the plane's center,” stated Macierewicz who, from 2015 to 2018, was defense minister in Poland's ruling right-wing.
I'm not equipped with the technological skills to unravel the various claims; however, the technical component that is being investigated is just a showpiece. The main issue lies with Ukraine and the danger that Russia is posing to Poland.
Poland will be familiar with this, having been the first to try to provide the Ukrainian Air Force with replacement aircraft. Poland is the nation that acts as the primary source of supplies to Ukraine. If the war escalates, Poland will be the first victim. Poland is the leader in Europe in the expulsion of Russian diplomats as well. The Russian ambassador to Poland says the relations between Russia and Poland are at their “worst since WWII.” It's probably not the best comparision, considering the fact that Russia worked in conjunction with Nazi Germany to attack Poland.
Reintroducing this issue, particularly the disrespectful and brutal treatment Poland received by Russia in the course of the investigation, now is a means of reminding Poles about what they're against and what Russian rule signifies. This is also an opportunity to strengthen nationalism in the long run to stop Putin's reckless use of force to achieve what he wants.
