President Andrzej Duda will attend ceremonies today in Kraków and Warsaw marking the 15th anniversary of the Smolensk plane crash, a disaster that claimed the lives of all 96 on board, including the then-president of Poland, Lech Kaczyński.
Duda is expected to first make a statement to the press before attending a Mass in the city’s Wawel Cathedral and laying a wreath in front of the tomb of Kaczyński and his wife, who was also on board the plane when it crashed outside the western Russian city of Smolensk.
The tragedy, which continues to cast a divisive shadow over Poland, unfolded when an official TU-154M aircraft carrying the president and his delegation approached Smolensk Airport.
The president had been due to attend a 70th anniversary service commemorating the 1940 Katyn Massacre, a series of mass killings that saw about 22,000 Polish officers and intelligentsia executed in the forests by Stalin’s NKVD.
The passenger jet, which was operated by the Polish Air Force, had left Warsaw’s Chopin Airport at 7:27 a.m. following a 26-minute delay.
Traveling alongside Kaczyński were a host of Polish dignitaries, among them the First Lady, Maria Kaczyńska, the commanders of Poland’s army, navy and air force, the president of the National Bank of Poland, the head of the National Security Bureau, senior members of the clergy and several politicians and lawmakers.
The tragedy, which continues to cast a divisive shadow over Poland, unfolded when an official TU-154M aircraft carrying the president and his delegation approached Smolensk Airport.
The president had been due to attend a 70th anniversary service commemorating the 1940 Katyn Massacre, a series of mass killings that saw about 22,000 Polish officers and intelligentsia executed in the forests by Stalin’s NKVD.
The passenger jet, which was operated by the Polish Air Force, had left Warsaw’s Chopin Airport at 7:27 a.m. following a 26-minute delay.
Traveling alongside Kaczyński were a host of Polish dignitaries, among them the First Lady, Maria Kaczyńska, the commanders of Poland’s army, navy and air force, the president of the National Bank of Poland, the head of the National Security Bureau, senior members of the clergy and several politicians and lawmakers.
While a plane carrying the press corps had landed earlier at Smolensk without incident, flight conditions were rapidly deteriorating—when the plane carrying the Polish president began its descent at 10:14 a.m. local time, thick fog had cut visibility down to 400 meters.
By the time the 20-year-old Russian-made plane began its approach, visibility had worsened to just 200 meters. The crew appeared to react too late to a warning system that had told them to “pull up, pull up” and crashed at 10:41 a.m.
As news of the tragedy filtered back to Poland, shock and disbelief were soon replaced by a profound sense of loss that briefly united the country in mourning. Divisions, however, soon bubbled to the surface.
A 2011 investigation by Poland’s Committee for Investigation of National Aviation Accidents concluded that the crash was caused by a combination of factors including pilot error and the weather conditions.
Investigators were also critical of the Russian air traffic controllers as well as the rudimentary state of the airport and its lighting and approach area.
By the time the 20-year-old Russian-made plane began its approach, visibility had worsened to just 200 meters. The crew appeared to react too late to a warning system that had told them to “pull up, pull up” and crashed at 10:41 a.m.
As news of the tragedy filtered back to Poland, shock and disbelief were soon replaced by a profound sense of loss that briefly united the country in mourning. Divisions, however, soon bubbled to the surface.
A 2011 investigation by Poland’s Committee for Investigation of National Aviation Accidents concluded that the crash was caused by a combination of factors including pilot error and the weather conditions.
Investigators were also critical of the Russian air traffic controllers as well as the rudimentary state of the airport and its lighting and approach area.
A separate Russian investigation pinned the blame entirely on Poland and also said that the flight crew were under psychological pressure to land the plane in time.
These findings have been strongly contested by some, including many in the Law and Justice (PiS) party, which Lech Kaczyński had helped found, who have pushed the narrative that the crash was caused by Kremlin foul play.
Two years after the disaster, Kaczyński’s twin brother, Law and Justice leader Jarosław, attributed much of the blame for the tragedy to Donald Tusk, his political rival who was at the time—as he is now—prime minister. “In the political sense you bear 100% responsibility for the catastrophe in Smolensk,” said Jarosław Kaczyński.
Kaczyński’s supporters have long claimed that Tusk worked in league with Russia to kill the Polish president.
Not long after PiS came to power in 2015, the then defense minister, Antoni Macierewicz, announced a new probe into the crash, with the subsequent investigation claiming that the plane was downed by explosions.
These findings have been strongly contested by some, including many in the Law and Justice (PiS) party, which Lech Kaczyński had helped found, who have pushed the narrative that the crash was caused by Kremlin foul play.
Two years after the disaster, Kaczyński’s twin brother, Law and Justice leader Jarosław, attributed much of the blame for the tragedy to Donald Tusk, his political rival who was at the time—as he is now—prime minister. “In the political sense you bear 100% responsibility for the catastrophe in Smolensk,” said Jarosław Kaczyński.
Kaczyński’s supporters have long claimed that Tusk worked in league with Russia to kill the Polish president.
Not long after PiS came to power in 2015, the then defense minister, Antoni Macierewicz, announced a new probe into the crash, with the subsequent investigation claiming that the plane was downed by explosions.
However, the investigation, and its subsequent report, drew severe criticism, with critics arguing that it was politically biased given that Macierewicz was Kaczyński’s close political ally and that its intention was to support conspiracy theories surrounding the crash. Many said the report failed to produce any hard and convincing evidence that the crash was the result of an assassination plot.
In 2024, 41 cases were filed alleging misconduct in the PiS investigation.
Of those cases, 24 concern Macierewicz. The numerous accusations against him include exceeding his authority for personal gain, neglecting his duties, forgery, and allowing unauthorized individuals to participate in the investigation committee's work.
According to Poland’s current defense minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the investigation conducted by PiS was established with the purpose of confirming one theory alone while dismissing any contradictory arguments.
He added that it was devised to “create further division in society and destroy national unity.”
In 2024, 41 cases were filed alleging misconduct in the PiS investigation.
Of those cases, 24 concern Macierewicz. The numerous accusations against him include exceeding his authority for personal gain, neglecting his duties, forgery, and allowing unauthorized individuals to participate in the investigation committee's work.
According to Poland’s current defense minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the investigation conducted by PiS was established with the purpose of confirming one theory alone while dismissing any contradictory arguments.
He added that it was devised to “create further division in society and destroy national unity.”
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