Polish President Lech Kaczynski plane crashes near Smolensk

**Tarek Morgen** · 10 Apr 10,, 09:03

Lech Kaczyński President of Poland and twin brother of the former Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński was onboard a plane that did crash this saturday morning near Smolensk. Russian media report at least 87 dead, but there has been no information if the President is among the victims.

BBC News - Polish President Lech Kaczynski 'in plane crash'

**Tarek Morgen** · 10 Apr 10,, 09:14

TV Reports here have just announced his death

**Namelessone** · 10 Apr 10,, 09:21

Polish President Lech Kaczynski dies in plane crash in SW Russia

MOSCOW, April 10 (RIA Novosti)
A passenger plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski crashed near the city of Smolensk, killing all 87 on board, Russia's Emergencies Ministry said on Saturday.

Polish Foreign Ministry press secretary Petr Paszkowski confirmed that the Polish president was on board the Tu-154 aircraft. Kaczynski was flying with a delegation to take part in the Katyn memorial ceremonies.

**1979** · 10 Apr 10,, 09:36

My sincere condolences to the families.

**Pepe** · 10 Apr 10,, 09:38

Polish president feared dead in plane crash

President Lech Kaczynski was travelling with his wife from Warsaw to Smolensk airport, 220 miles southwest of Moscow.

Sergei Antufiev, the regional governor of the Smolensk, said that everyone on board had been killed.

"It clipped the tops of the trees, crashed down and broke into pieces," Mr Antufiev, told Russia-24 television news network by telephone. "There were no survivors." Polish state news agency PAP also said there were no survivors.

Conditions around the airport were described as foggy when the plane came down a mile from the airport. Russia's official news agency said that 87 people had been killed in the crash.

A Polish government official said the head of the Polish army and the head of the presidential administration were also on board the plane, along with the president's wife and families of other senior officials.

The plane was also carrying the governor of Poland's central bank, Slawomir Skrzypek.

Mr Kaczynski, 60, has been president since December 2005. He is married with one daughter

RIP

Polish president feared dead in plane crash - Telegraph

**StevoJH** · 10 Apr 10,, 09:49

From what i've seen posted on other forums.

The people on board include.

- President
- First Lady
- Army Chief of Staff
- Deputy Prime Minister
- Opposition Leader
- Central Bank Governor
- Deputy Foreign Minister?
- Head of National Security Bureau

Condolences to the Families.

**Doomarias** · 10 Apr 10,, 10:07

Originally Posted by StevoJH

From what i've seen posted on other forums.

The people on board include.

- President
- First Lady
- Army Chief of Staff
- Deputy Prime Minister
- Opposition Leader
- Central Bank Governor
- Deputy Foreign Minister?
- Head of National Security Bureau

Condolences to the Families.

RIP

Also that really sucks for the government of Poland.

**bigross86** · 10 Apr 10,, 10:14

RIP to all those on the plane and condolences to their families

Is anyone else aside from me thinking this might have been intentional? As far as I know, the presidential airplane is always the best kept and the best guarded one in the whole fleet, so accidents should almost never happen. Not saying that they don't, but the first thing that jumped to my mind was how certain people would benefit from a leaderless Poland, not least Russia, which seems to be flexing it's muscles again. I'm sure the investigators are also looking into the same thing

**Bigfella** · 10 Apr 10,, 10:15

Sad news. Poland will be in shock - so many impotant people gone in one accident. Terrible.

**1979** · 10 Apr 10,, 10:20

Originally Posted by bigross86

Is anyone else aside from me thinking this might have been intentional?

I don't .

**Andrey Egorov** · 10 Apr 10,, 10:51

Nie ?yje prezydencka para, politycy, ?o?nierze - Rzeczpospolita

lista pasażerów (passenger list)

Pan Lech KACZYŃSKI Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej

Pani Maria KACZYŃSKA Małżonka Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej

DELEGACJA OFICJALNA

1. Pan Ryszard KACZOROWSKI b. Prezydent RP na Uchodźctwie

2. Pan Krzysztof PUTRA Wicemarszałek Sejmu RP

3. Pan Jerzy SZMAJDZIŃSKI Wicemarszałek Sejmu RP

4. Pani Krystyna BOCHENEK Wicemarszałek Senatu RP

5. Pan Jerzy BAHR Ambasador RP w Federacji Rosyjskiej

6. Pan Władysław STASIAK Szef Kancelarii Prezydenta RP

7. Pan Aleksander SZCZYGŁO Szef Biura Bezpieczeństwa Narodowego

8. Pan Jacek SASIN Sekretarz Stanu, Zastępca Szefa Kancelarii Prezydenta RP

9. Pan Paweł WYPYCH Sekretarz Stanu w Kancelarii Prezydenta RP

10. Pan Mariusz HANDZLIK Podsekretarz Stanu w Kancelarii Prezydenta RP

11. Pan Andrzej KREMER Podsekretarz Stanu w Ministerstwie Spraw Zagranicznych

12. Pan Stanisław KOMOROWSKI Podsekretarz Stanu w MON

13. Pan Tomasz MERTA Podsekretarz Stanu w MKiDN

14. Gen. Franciszek GĄGOR Szef Sztabu Generalnego Wojska Polskiego

15. Pan Andrzej PRZEWOŹNIK Sekretarz ROPWiM

16. Pan Maciej PŁAŻYŃSKI Prezes Stowarzyszenia „Wspólnota Polska”

17. Pan Mariusz KAZANA Dyrektor Protokołu Dyplomatycznego MSZ

PRZEDSTAWICIELE PARLAMENTU RP

1. Pan Leszek DEPTUŁA Poseł na Sejm RP

2. Pan Grzegorz DOLNIAK Poseł na Sejm RP

3. Pani Grażyna GĘSICKA Poseł na Sejm RP

4. Pan Przemysław GOSIEWSKI Poseł na Sejm RP

5. Pan Sebastian KARPINIUK Poseł na Sejm RP

6. Pani Izabela JARUGA – NOWACKA Poseł na Sejm RP

7. Pan Zbigniew WASSERMANN Poseł na Sejm RP

8. Pani Aleksandra NATALLI – ŚWIAT Poseł na Sejm RP

10. Pan Arkadiusz RYBICKI Poseł na Sejm RP

11. Pani Jolanta SZYMANEK – DERESZ Poseł na Sejm RP

12. Pan Wiesław WODA Poseł na Sejm RP

13. Pan Edward WOJTAS Poseł na Sejm RP

14. Pani Janina FETLIŃSKA Senator RP

15. Pan Stanisław ZAJĄC Senator RP

OSOBY TOWARZYSZĄCE

1. Pan Janusz KOCHANOWSKI Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich

2. Pan Sławomir SKRZYPEK Prezes Narodowego Banku Polskiego

3. Pan Janusz KURTYKA Prezes Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej

4. Pan Janusz KRUPSKI Kierownik Urzędu do Spraw Kombatantów i Osób Represjonowanych

5. Pan rektor UKSW Ks.Prof. Ryszard Rumianek

PRZEDSTAWICIELE KOŚCIOŁÓW I WYZNAŃ RELIGIJNYCH

1. Ks. Bp. gen. dyw. Tadeusz PŁOSKI Ordynariusz Polowy Wojska Polskiego

2. Abp gen. bryg. Miron CHODAKOWSKI Prawosławny Ordynariusz Wojska Polskiego

3. Ks. płk Adam PILCH Ewangelickie Duszpasterstwo Polowe

4. Ks. ppłk Jan OSIŃSKI Ordynariat Polowy Wojska Polskiego PRZEDSTAWICIELE RODZIN KATYŃSKICH I INNYCH STOWARZYSZEŃ

1. Pan Edward DUCHNOWSKI Sekretarz Generalny Związku Sybiraków

2. Ks. prałat Bronisław GOSTOMSKI

3. Ks. Józef JONIEC Prezes Stowarzyszenia Parafiada

4. Ks. Zdzisław KRÓL Kapelan Warszawskiej Rodziny Katyńskiej 1987-2007

5. Ks. Andrzej KWAŚNIK Kapelan Federacji Rodzin Katyńskich

6. Pan Tadeusz LUTOBORSKI

7. Pani Bożena ŁOJEK Prezes Polskiej Fundacji Katyńskiej

8. Pan Stefan MELAK Prezes Komitetu Katyńskiego

9. Pan Stanisław MIKKE Wiceprzewodniczący ROPWiM

10. Pani Bronisława ORAWIEC - LOFFLER

11. Pani Katarzyna PISKORSKA

12. Pan Andrzej SARIUSZ – SKĄPSKI Prezes Federacji Rodzin Katyńskich

13. Pan Wojciech SEWERYN

14. Pan Leszek SOLSKI

15. Pani Teresa WALEWSKA – PRZYJAŁKOWSKA Fundacja „Golgota Wschodu”

16. Pani Gabriela ZYCH

17. Pani Ewa BĄKOWSKA wnuczka Gen. bryg. Mieczysława Smorawińskiego

18. Pani Maria BOROWSKA

19. Pan Bartosz BOROWSKI

20. Pan Dariusz MALINOWSKI

PRZEDSTAWICIELE SIŁ ZBROJNYCH RP

1. Gen. broni Bronisław KWIATKOWSKI Dowódca Operacyjny Sił Zbrojnych RP

2. Gen. broni pil. Andrzej BŁASIK Dowódca Sił Powietrznych RP

3. Gen. dyw. Tadeusz BUK Dowódca Wojsk Lądowych RP

4. Gen. dyw. Włodzimierz POTASIŃSKI Dowódca Wojsk Specjalnych RP

5. Wiceadmirał Andrzej KARWETA Dowódca Marynarki Wojennej RP

6. Gen. bryg. Kazimierz GILARSKI Dowódca Garnizonu Warszawa

RIP. And condolences to families and relatives

**Bigfella** · 10 Apr 10,, 12:01

Originally Posted by bigross86

RIP to all those on the plane and condolences to their families

Is anyone else aside from me thinking this might have been intentional? As far as I know, the presidential airplane is always the best kept and the best guarded one in the whole fleet, so accidents should almost never happen. Not saying that they don't, but the first thing that jumped to my mind was how certain people would benefit from a leaderless Poland, not least Russia, which seems to be flexing it's muscles again. I'm sure the investigators are also looking into the same thing

BR,

Given the choice between conspiracy & fvckup & always prompt for fvckup until conclusively proven otherwise.

I can guarantee you that there will already be 'proof' on the interent somewhere that this was the Russians, or the Americans, or the Mossad (just covering the usual suspects). In fact, I'll bet you there are (or will be) people theorizing that this is the CIA or the Mossad trying to make Russia look bad (you just know they will). It will rely on the usual method - isolate 'odd' or difficult to explain apsects of the crash, add the motive & the 'logic' behind it & then proclaim it fact.

In truth this would be an extraordinarily risky thing for Russia to do for uncertain gain. Were it to even look like thy were doing it opinion in E.Europe would harden decisively against Russia, from suspicion to outright hostility in an instant. If anything it would make life a lot harder for Russia. Even Putin, thuggish as he is, would surely not take such a risk, especially under the circumstances - the first Polish delegation to go to Katyn commemorations. Also, if you look at the crash - on approach to the airport in poor conditions - it looks a lot more like pilot error than sabotage.

Anyhow, I'll wait for crash reports. I'm assuming the Poles will send in a team to work with the Russians.

**Namelessone** · 10 Apr 10,, 12:13

Plane that crashed...

Vladimir Putin 'll head the commission that 'll investigate this tragedy.

**Knjaz** · 10 Apr 10,, 12:38

RIP.
Hard to think up worst moment, when this could happen.
Our relations with Poland just started to improve by little after looooong (from 20-30 to 700 years, depends on yr PoV) deterioration.
After some hours there will be tons of comments like "Putin did that, because.. (insert anything u want here) ". F....ng great.

Waiting for crash reports....