President of Poland Killed in Plane Crash in Russia

[theconqueror]

Published: Saturday April 10, 2010

An interior ministry officer stood guard
near a part of the wreckage.


Polish President Killed in Plane Crash - Video Library - The New York Times


WARSAW — A plane carrying the Polish president and dozens of the country’s top political and military leaders to the site of the Soviet massacre of Polish officers in World War II crashed in western Russia on Saturday, killing everyone on board.

President Lech Kaczynski’s plane tried to land in a thick fog, missing the runway and snagging treetops about half a mile from the airport in Smolensk, scattering chunks of flaming fuselage across a bare forest.

The crash came as a stunning blow to Poland, wiping out a large portion of the country’s leadership in one fiery explosion. And in a bizarre twist, it happened at the moment that Russia and Poland were beginning to come to terms with the killing of more than 20,000 members of Poland’s elite officer corps in the same place 70 years ago.

“It is a damned place,” former President Aleksander Kwasniewski told TVN24. “It sends shivers down my spine.”

Read more...

Polish President Dies in Jet Crash in Russia - NYTimes.com

 

[Risus]

This is going to be an interesting challange for Poland. They were calling for an election in October, it will have to be earlier now according to their constitution.

My sympathies to the families of the deceased.

 

[theconqueror]

Who would want to hurt cheeks like President Lech Kaczynski. Poor man.. :-(

 

[gerryh]

We have a father and son team, where I work, from Czechoslovakia. I was at a call this morning with the father and the customer asked him if he had heard about the Polish crash (guess he figured Czech..Pole....close enough). He replied back that he had......"too much Vodka" was his reply about the crash...lol..... guess there isn't any love loss between the Czech's and Poles.....lol

 

[Risus]

We have a father and son team, where I work, from Czechoslovakia. I was at a call this morning with the father and the customer asked him if he had heard about the Polish crash (guess he figured Czech..Pole....close enough). He replied back that he had......"too much Vodka" was his reply about the crash...lol..... guess there isn't any love loss between the Czech's and Poles.....lol

That doesn't say much for your coworker...

 

[Blackleaf]

. They were calling for an election in October, it will have to be earlier now according to their constitution.

Well, they can hardly go 6 months without a leader.

 

[lone wolf]

Well, they can hardly go 6 months without a leader.

Why not? It might do us all some good to go six months without a leader.

 

[AnnaG]

My sympathies for those who lost loved ones, too.

Sorry, I don't have a joke or smartass comment.

 

[lone wolf]

My sympathies for those who lost loved ones, too.

Sorry, I don't have a joke or smartass comment.

Agreed.... Nothing jokeworthy about tremendous loss.

 

[Risus]

Well, they can hardly go 6 months without a leader.

Come back when you have a life.

 

[dumpthemonarchy]

On the news it showed that relations between Poland and Russia could be improving due to the behavior of Putin. Poles were pleased with his actions. Sign of better times.