Victims of Smolensk crash commemorated
On April 10, 2010, 8:41 AM Polish presidential plane crashed near Smolensk, Russia. Following is the list of 96 victims, including President Lech Kaczynski, the First Lady, the last President of Poland in exile, senior gov't officials and military commanders.
The investigation into the TU-154m crash is still under way with the wreckage of the plane as well as the flight recorders withheld by the Russian side for 7 years now under the plea of the Russia'a own (ongoing) inquiry. (see: NOTE 1)
The Polish delegation was going to Katyn to attend events marking the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre (see: NOTE 2).
The list of victims of the 2010's presidential plane crash:
1. Lech Kaczynski, President of the Republic of Poland
2. Maria Kaczynska, First Lady of Poland
3. Ryszard Kaczorowski, Last President of the Polish Government-in-Exile
4. Gen. Franciszek Gagor, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland
5. Lt. Gen. Tadeusz Buk, Commander in Chief of the Land Forces of the Republic of Poland
6. Gen. Andrzej Blasik, Commander in Chief of the Air Forces of the Republic of Poland
7. Fleet Admin. Andrzej Karweta, Commander in Chief of the Polish Navy
8. Lt. Gen. Wlodzimierz Potasinski, Commander in Chief of the Special Forces of the Republic of Poland
9. Gen. Bronislaw Kwiatkowski, Operational Commander of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland
10. Maj. Gen. Kazimierz Gilarski, Commander of the Warsaw Garrison
11. Rev. Lt. Gen. Tadeusz Ploski, Military Ordinary of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland
12. Maj. Gen. Archbishop Miron Chodakowski, Orthodox Ordinary of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland
13. Rev. Brig. Gen. Adam Pilch, Field Chaplain Evangelical Church of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland
14. Rev Col. Jan Osinski, Field Chaplain of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, Secretary of the Polish Army Field Bishop
15. Joanna Agacka-Indecka, President of the Polish Bar Association
16. Ewa Bakowska, granddaughter of Brigadier General Mieczyslaw Smorawinski, Katyn Families Association activist
17. Krystyna Bochenek, deputy Speaker of the Senate of the Republic of Poland
18. Anna Maria Borowska, representative of Katyn Families Association
19. Bartosz Borowski, representative of Katyn Families Association
20. Czeslaw Cywinski, President of the Home Army (AK) Veterans Association
21. Leszek Deptula, MP
22. Col. Zbigniew Debski, Colonel of the Polish Armed Forces, Member of the Chapter of the Virtuti Militari Order, Club of Knights Secretary of the Virtuti Militari Order
23. Grzegorz Dolniak, MP
24. Katarzyna Doraczynska. She served as deputy chairman of Mazovia District Scouting Association of the Republic of Poland. Official in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland
25. Edward Duchnowski, Secretary General of the Union of Sybiraks
26. Aleksander Fedorowicz, Russian translator
27. Janina Fetlinska, Senator
28. Col. Jaroslaw Florczak, Government Protection Bureau officer
29. Second Lt. Artur Francuz, Government Protection Bureau officer
30. Grazyna Gesicka, MP and former Minister of Regional Development
31. Przemyslaw Gosiewski, MP, former Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Chair of the Law and Justice Party
32. Rev. Canon Bronislaw Gostomski, Chaplain to the President Ryszard Kaczorowski, Pastor of the Katyn Families in London, Rev. Canon of St Andrew Bobola Church in London
33. Mariusz Handzlik, Undersecretary of State in the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland
34. Rev. Prelate Roman Indrzejczyk, Chaplain to the late President Lech Kaczynski
35. Capt. Pawel Janeczek, Government Protection Bureau officer
36. Dariusz Jankowski, Official in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland
37. Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka, MP
38. Fr. Jozef Joniec, Roman Catholic priest, Chairman Parafiada Association
39. Karpiniuk Sebastian, MP
40. Mariusz Kazana, Director of Diplomatic Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
41. Janusz Kochanowski, Ombudsman and Civil Rights Commissioner
42. Maj. Gen. Stanislaw Komornicki, Chancellor of the Virtuti Militari Military Order
43. Stanislaw Komorowski, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of National Defence
44. Second Lt. Pawel Krajewski, Government Protection Bureau officer
45. Andrzej Kremer, Undersecretary of State Ministry of Foreign Affairs
46. Rev. Chancellor Zdzislaw Krol, Chaplain (1987-2007) Warsaw Katyn Families Association
47. Janusz Krupski, Head of The Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression
48. Janusz Kurtyka, President of the Institute of National Remembrance
49. Rev. Canon Andrzej Kwasnik, Chaplain Katyn Families Associations
50. Brig. Gen. Dr. Wojciech Lubinski, Personal physician of President Lech Kaczynski
51. Tadeusz Lutoborski, representative of Katyn Families Association
52. Barbara Maminska, Director in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland
53. Zenona Mamontowicz-Łojek, President of the Polish Katyn Foundation and representative of Katyn Families Association
54. Stefan Melak, President of the Katyn Committee
55. Tomasz Merta, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage
56. Stanislaw Mikke, Vice-chairman of the Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom Sites
57. Aleksandra Natalli-Swiat, MP
58. Janina Natusiewicz-Mirer, activist, art historian and archaeologist, Polish free trade union activist
59. Lt. Piotr Nosek, Government Protection Bureau officer
60. Piotr Nurowski, President of the Polish Olympic Committee
61. Bronislawa Orawiec-Loffler, representative of Katyn Families Association
62. Katarzyna Piskorska, representative of Katyn Families Association
63. Maciej Plazynski, MP, Chairman Association "Polish Community"
64. Andrzej Przewoznik, Secretary of the Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom Sites
65. Krzysztof Putra, Vice-Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland
66. Ryszard Rumianek, Rector Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University
67. Arkadiusz Rybicki, MP
68. Andrzej Sariusz-Skapski, President of the Katyn Families Association
69. Wojciech Seweryn, representative of Katyn Families Association
70. Slawomir Skrzypek, President of the National Bank of Poland (NBP)
71. Leszek Solski, representative of Katyn Families Association
72. Wladyslaw Stasiak, Chief of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland
73. Second Lt. Jacek Surowka, Government Protection Bureau officer
74. Aleksander Szczyglo, former Minister of National Defence, Chief of the National Security Bureau
75. Jerzy Szmajdzinski, fomer Minister of National Defence and former Minister of Interior, deputy Speaker of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland
76. Jolanta Szymanek-Deresz, MP
77. Izabela Tomaszewska, Director of Diplomatic Protocol in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland
78. Second Lt. Marek Uleryk, Government Protection Bureau officer
79. Anna Walentynowicz, Legendary co-founder of the Solidarity Trade Union, Dame of the Order of the White Eagle
80. Teresa Walewska-Przyjalkowska, Vice-President “Golgota Wschodu” Foundation, President of the Association for Promotion of Worship St. Andrew Bobola
81. Zbigniew Wassermann, MP
82. Wiesław Woda, MP
83. Edward Wojtas, MP
84. Pawel Wypych, Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the President of Poland
85. Stanislaw Zajac, Senator
86. Janusz Zakrzenski, film and theatrical actor
87. Gabriela Zych, representative of Katyn Families Association
88. Maj. Dariusz Michalowski, Government Protection Bureau officer
89. Second Lt. Agnieszka Pogrodka-Weclawek, Government Protection Bureau officer
90. Maj. Arkadiusz Protasiuk, Pilot Air Force of the Republic of Poland
91. Lt. Col. Robert Grzywna, Pilot Air Force of the Republic of Poland
92. Second Lt. Andrzej Michalak, Air Force of the Republic of Poland
93. Cap. Artur Zietek, Air Force of the Republic of Poland
94. Barbara Maciejczyk, crew member
95. Natalia Januszko, crew member
96. Justyna Moniuszko, crew member
NOTE 1:
Although TU-154m was part of 36th Special Aviation Regiment of the Polish Air Force and on the day of the crash carried on board, among others, the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces (President Lech Kaczynski - PAP) and other top military officials, on April 13, 2010 the then Polish government led by PM Donald Tusk agreed not to investigate the crash under 1993 Polish-Russian agreement on military aviation in the airspace of both contracting states, in reality handing over the whole investigation to the IAC, a Russian affiliate of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Thereupon it was decided to consider the Polish Air Force's presidential plane as a civilian aircraft thus allowing the investigation to be conducted in compliance with Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, so-called "Chicago Convention", whose stipulations according to reports were also violated, including not fulfilling by the State of Occurrence the obligation to "use every means to facilitate the investigation". Instances of tampering with evidence on top with its destruction already at the scene of the catastrophe were also reported.
NOTE 2:
The Katyn Massacre was a series of mass executions of Polish POW's, mainly military officers and policemen but also members of Polish intelligentsia, carried out by the Soviet security agency NKVD in April and May 1940. The killings took place at several locations but the massacre is named after the Katyn Forest in west Russia, where some of the mass graves of the victims were first discovered.
The massacre was initiated by NKVD chief Lavrentiy Beria, who proposed to execute all captive members of the Polish officer corps. The victim count is estimated at about 22,000 yet according to some sources might be higher (considerably limited access to Russia'a archives stalls final evaluation of the victims number - PAP).
The executions took place in Katyn Forest, the Kalinin and Kharkiv prisons, and elsewhere. About 8,000 of the victims were officers imprisoned during the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland, another 6,000 were police officers, the rest were Polish intellectuals, deemed by the Soviets to be intelligence agents and saboteurs.
In 1943 the government of Nazi Germany announced the discovery of mass graves in Katyn Forest. When the London-based Polish government-in-exile asked for an investigation by the International Committee of the Red Cross, Stalin promptly severed diplomatic relations with the London-based cabinet. The Soviets claimed that the killings had been carried out by the Nazis in 1941 and denied responsibility for the massacres until 1990, when it officially acknowledged and condemned the perpetration of the massacre by the NKVD.
Soviet responsibility for the Katyn killings was confirmed by an investigation conducted by the office of the Prosecutors General of the Soviet Union (1990–1991) and the Russian Federation (1991–2004), however Russia refused to classify them as a war crime or genocide. (PAP)
