It was noteworthy that Russia’s hard-line Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, immediately took charge of an investigation, after the tragic crash of an airliner in Smolensk, Russia, killing President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, Maria, and 96 people, most of whom were members of the upper echelons of Poland’s government.
Putin very quickly and publicly offered condolences, along with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, but would not apologize for the nearby Katyn Forest Massacre where 22,000 Polish Officers were killed by Soviet Secret Police, back in 1940, in one of Poland’s greatest national traumas, which led to the plane crash, taking Polish government offficials to joint Russian-Polish 70th year anniversary ceremonies in Russia, to honor the massacred offficers.
Although Medvedev said ​“On this difficult day, the people of Russia stand with the Polish people,” neither he or Putin would apologize for the Katyn Forest massacre, that brought the hierarchy of the Polish goverment to a tragic, and unfulfilled deadly airliner crash conclusion, perhaps expecting an apology from Vladimir Putin, to ease Polish mistrust of Russia, that did not happen.
Putin declined to apologize for the Katyn Massacre.
Putin, apparently, did not get the message, from the deadly, airliner disaster, that life is short! His lighting candles for the deceased 98 air crash victims, was not truly significant, but an apology for the Katyn Forest massacre, would have beeen monumental, to ease Polish-Russian government relations, in the future.
Unfortunately, Vladimir Putin, unfortunately, continues to be a hard-liner, as Russian Prime Minister.
Editor’s note: Click here for background.
Stan Muzyk has been a Derby resident since 1936. He attended Derby and Shelton Schools. He is a former Derby Police Commissioner and served on the Derby Middle School Building Committee. He is currently on the Greenway Committee. He and his father, Stanley, Sr., both managed finance and food businesses in downtown Derby. He is a dedicated advocate for ​“what’s good for the City of Derby!”