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Poland Demands Arrest of 43 Russian Forensic Experts in Smolensk Crash Investigation

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Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
Author
Poland Demands Arrest of 43 Russian Forensic Experts in Smolensk Crash Investigation
Russian rescuers work at the site of a Polish government Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft crash near Smolensk airport on April 10, 2010. (Source: Getty Images)

Polish prosecutors have formally charged 43 Russian forensic experts who conducted autopsies on the victims of the 2010 Smolensk air disaster, in which Poland’s political leadership died, Polish broadcaster TVN24 reported on April 1.

Prosecutor Krzysztof Schwarz, head of the investigative team handling the case, stated that Poland would seek international arrest warrants for the Russian forensic experts who prepared post-mortem reports on the crash victims.

According to Schwarz, the accused experts conducted 61 autopsies and included large amounts of false information in their conclusions.

“The investigation into false testimony by Russian forensic and genetic experts is one of several key 'Smolensk cases.' We have determined that the autopsy reports prepared by Russian doctors contained numerous inaccuracies and false information,” Schwarz said.

Despite Poland’s formal request for legal assistance in the case, Russia has refused to cooperate.

“I believe we will request an international arrest warrant, as we cannot leave this case in a state of uncertainty,” Schwarz added.

The Smolensk air crash

On April 10, 2010, a Polish government aircraft, a Tu-154, crashed near the Russian city of Smolensk.

The delegation was en route to a memorial service marking the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre, where thousands of Polish citizens were executed by the Soviet NKVD .

Russian team inspects the wreckage of a Polish government Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft which crashed on April 10 near Smolensk airport, on April 11, 2010. (Source: Getty Images)
Russian team inspects the wreckage of a Polish government Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft which crashed on April 10 near Smolensk airport, on April 11, 2010. (Source: Getty Images)

All 96 people on board died, including Polish President Lech Kaczyński, his wife, and numerous high-ranking Polish officials.

Earlier, the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane that crashed in Kazakhstan was damaged by gunfire from the ground while flying over Russian territory, stated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The aircraft, an Embraer 190, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25, resulting in the deaths of 38 people.

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The People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs, was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) secret police organization, and thus had a monopoly on intelligence and state security functions. The NKVD is known for carrying out political repression and the Great Purge under Joseph Stalin, as well as counterintelligence and other operations on the Eastern Front of World War II. The head of the NKVD was Genrikh Yagoda from 1934 to 1936, Nikolai Yezhov from 1936 to 1938, Lavrentiy Beria from 1938 to 1946, and Sergei Kruglov in 1946.