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Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland has accused Russia of trying to cover up the Katyn Massacre for years. The massacre saw 96 members of the Polish political elite, including the country’s presidential couple, killed by Soviet security forces on their way to an event honouring the victims of the NKVD. Morawiecki stated that the tragedy underscores the truth about Russia and its ruling authorities.
“This year, Easter Monday has a special dimension for Poles. It is today that marks the 83rd anniversary of the Katyn Massacre and the 13th anniversary of the Smolensk Catastrophe,”
wrote Morawiecki on Twitter.
The Prime Minister recalled that in 1940, in Katyn Forest, the Soviet NKVD, acting on Stalin’s orders, murdered 22,000 Poles – officers, soldiers, functionaries, representatives of the administration and clergy. “The death of our compatriots constantly reminds us not only of the suffering they experienced in Soviet camps but also of the sacrifice with which they fought for Poland’s freedom and independence,” he stated.
He pointed out that it was to commemorate the victims of this Soviet crime that a delegation of Poland’s political and state elite, headed by the presidential couple, set out from Warsaw 13 years ago. However, 96 representatives from Poland were unable to reach the site. “On board the plane were commanders of the Polish Army, parliamentarians, social activists and Katyń families. However, we remember that they did not make it to Katyn to pay tribute to the victims of Soviet Crime together. They died tragically in the crash near Smolensk,” he wrote
“Russia tried for years to hide the truth about Katyn and then did everything in its power to make the world forget this history. The Smolensk tragedy of 10 April 2010 brought that Soviet crime to the surface, and reminded the world of it again. It also reminded us of the true face of Russia and its authorities,”
emphasised the Polish Prime Minister.
The head of the Polish government indicated that homage should be paid both to those murdered in Katyn by the NKVD and to those who died in the Smolensk catastrophe. “Their actions for the freedom and sovereignty of Poland are and will always remain an invaluable legacy for us,” he pointed out.