Plane Carsh in Smolensk 4/10, 2010

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

(Photo courtesy 'Gazeta Wyborcza')

On April 10, 2010 ninety six Polish citizens lost their lives in a plane crash in Smolensk, Russia, on their way to the Katyn cementery, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the murder by the NKVD of more than 20 thousand Polish officers, taken prisoner during the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland. The group included President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria, the last President in Exile, Ryszard Kaczorowski, Deputy Presidents of the House of Representatives, Krzysztof Putra and Jerzy Szmajdzinski, Deputy President of the Senate, Ms. Krystyna Bochenek, President of the Bank of Poland, Slawomir Skrzypek, the catholic, orthodox and lutheran bishops of the Armed Forces od Poland, Chief of Staff, Gen. Franciszek Gagor, and other generals, Chancellor of the Order Virtuti Militari, Gen. Stanislaw Nalecz-Komornicki, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, members of Presidential Chancellery, state officials, members of families of officers murdered in Katyn, security officers and plane crew. Among the victims of the crash, there was also Ms. Anna Walentynowicz, the legendary leader of Polish democratic opposition, whose being fired in 1980 gave the impulse to begin the strike in the Gdansk shipyard, which eventually resulted in the creation of the Solidarnosc movement.

The number of victims, most of whom were top national politicians and officials makes this disaster an unprecedented one in the history of world aviation. The place where it happened makes their death even more symbolic.

The funeral ceremony of the President and his wife will take place on Sunday, April 18, at the Wawel Cathedral in Cracow, the resting place of Polish monarchs and national heroes including General Kosciuszko, Marshal Pilsudski and General Sikorski.

I am sorry publishing this tragic news here, but I simply felt I had to share it with you. I could not find a better place on this forum to publish it.

Lukasz Gaszewski

Edited April 16, 2010 by Lukasz Gaszewski