Survey: Poles confused by Smolensk disaster

Tu-154 wreckage: photo - Polish Radio - Wlodzimierz Pac

According to the poll conducted for public broadcaster TVP, just 34 percent of the respondents were confident that the reasons for the crash have already been explained.

Some 96 Poles, headed by former president Lech Kaczynski, died when the Tu-154M plane crashed at the Russian military airport in Smolensk, on 10 April 2010.

The plane crashed in thick fog, as the delegation journeyed to mark the 70th anniversary of the World War II Katyn Crime.

An official Russian report released in December 2010 placed the blame for the crash on errors made on the Polish side, while Warsaw's report, published in July 2011, acknowledged a catalogue of faults on the Polish side, coupled with errors made in the Smolensk control tower.

Polish and Russian investigations are ongoing.

Meanwhile, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of opposition party Law and Justice and twin brother of the late president Lech Kaczynski, continues to promote a conspiracy theory relating to the crash.

Speaking with right-wing tabloid Gazeta Polska Codziennie for today's edition, he argued that “an explosion occurred.”

The Law and Justice leader stopped short of speculating who was responsible for such an alleged crime.

Kaczynski has repeatedly called for an international investigation into the disaster.

The White House ruled out any additional investigation in May 2012. Meanwhile, one of Washington's most seasoned observers of Polish affairs, former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, has rejected conspiracy theories relating to the crash. (nh)

Source: IAR