Russia Responsible For 2010 Polish Plane Crash, Warsaw Government Report Claims

A report released by a Polish government special commission claims Russia was responsible for the 2010 plane crash which killed Poland's then-President Lech Kaczynski.

The Soviet-made Tu-154M plane was flying from Warsaw, Poland on 10 April, 2010 when it crashed near the Russian city of Smolensk, killing Kaczynski and the first lady as well as 94 other prominent Poles and government and armed forces figures.

In its latest report released on Monday (11 April), the panel investigating the crash alleged it was caused by an intentional detonation of planted explosives.

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The head of the commission and former defense minister Antoni Macierewicz told a news conference the deaths of those on board the plane were caused by an 'act of unlawful interference by the Russian side', the Associated Press reports.

Macierewicz claimed the 'main and indisputable proof of the interference' was two explosions; the first in the left wing and the second in the plane's centre.

Attention has previously been drawn to the fog that covered the area of the crash as the plane went down, however Macierewicz denied any mistakes had been made by Polish pilots of crew members in the adverse conditions.

The findings of the reports reiterate previous allegations made by the commission, which has been appointed by the government in which former president Kaczynski's twin brother is a key figure.

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Further suspicions about the crash emerged as Russia refused to return the wreckage of the plane, making it more difficult for Poland to investigate.

Current president Andrzej Duda said in 2020 it would be 'difficult' to predict whether the case would 'ever be resolved', saying: “We don’t have basic evidence, the wreckage is still in Russia, the black boxes are still in Russia.“

Previous reports by both Polish and Russian experts on aviation incidents have claimed the crash was the result of human error made amid the dense fog, and found no proof of foul play.

Aerial visibility on the approach to Smolensk on 10 April 2010 was just 200 metres, according to The Guardian, and despite the warning system telling the crew to 'pull up' in the plane, it crashed just a few hundred metres before the runway.

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Then-foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski shared his thoughts on the matter in 2015, telling pro-government magazine wSieci: “I think that if Russia has not shared credible information for years, if Russia manipulates the investigations, does not return the wreck, they put suspicion on themselves.

"When someone acts like this it means they have something to hide."

The latest finding comes as Poland offers support to its neighbour Ukraine amid Russia's invasion of the country.

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