OTHER LIES FROM MOSCOW

ARTUR STELMASIAK

Vladimir Putin and the Russian diplomacy are again showing their insolence and arrogance. The Russians have behaved so many times since the year 2010 but now the government of the Law and Justice party is adequately reacting to lies from Kremlin

The Polish airplane wreckage Tu-154M lying in Smoleńsk and black boxes kept in Moscow have had a nearly 7-year-old history. Since 2010 the Polish authorities have officially been demanding the return of them, but the authorities of the Russian Federation are officially refusing to do it. However, there is a difference between the government of the Civic Platform and Polish Peasant Party and the government of the Law and Justice party. The first of them practically did nothing, and the latter one is doing nearly everything possible to regain what belongs to Poland and proofs concerning the most serious tragedy in the time from the Second World War.

Among the others, Witold Waszczykowski has scrutinized documents of his predecessors in the Foreign Ministry. It turns out that the Polish diplomacy did not arouse the issue of the return of the wreckage at all. – Now we have a proof what we have guessed for a long time. Our government did not represent us and kept a far-reaching passivity – Małgorzata Wypych, a widow of Paweł Wypych told ‘Niedziela’.

A definite reaction of Poland

A few weeks ago, there appeared a loud dispute again because of the words said by Vladimir Putin. The president of Russia said that ‘he had personally read’ recorded talks of the airplane pilots. – The person who entered the cockpit demands landing. The pilot answers: ‘I cannot, as it is impossible’. Hearing it, the person from the president’s bodyguards says: ‘I cannot report it to the chief. Do what you want, and go landing’ – the president of Russia reported.

Putin was trying to show off to the public opinion again and according to his style, he even coloured the scandalous narration published by MAK in 2011. We will not find any words about forcing to go landing, mentioned by Putin, even in erroneous Russian transcripts.

This time the Polish government made a use of the Russian lies. First a statement was edited by the National Defence Ministry and later a diplomatic note was sent by the Foreign Minister. The diplomatic note demanded urgent giving the recorded talks in the cockpit of Tu-154 M just before the catastrophe at Smoleńsk, not know in Poland so far. ‘According to the statement of the president of Russia Vladimir Putin, the Russian authorities have got a text of talks between the pilot and passengers which has never been made available to Poland. It presents a completely false picture of the course of events, which were to cause the tragedy at Smoleńsk. (…) As it results from (…) the statement of president Putin, at the sources of the situation there is falsifying the evidence by the Russian party’ – we read in the statement of the National Defence Ministry.

Russia has grabbed the Polish property

The first answer from the embassy of Russia turned out as insolent as the words of Putin during a conference. ‘There is no basis to state that Russia has allegedly got a recording of talks in the cockpit (…). Decoded talks of pilots were often made public in mass media. It is easy to find them on Internet’ – we read in a Russian message.

The diplomatic note of the Russian Foreign Ministry was kinder but it did not include an answer to the question about the words of Putin. ‘The key facts, mentioned by President of the Russian Federation in his pronouncement, are proved by decoding recorded sounds of the talks in the cockpit of the sound recorder of the Polish presidential airplane’ – we read in a statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

In their explanations, the Russians either do not explain the words of Putin at all, who explicitly diverts from the truth, or they do not distance from them. – Certainly, we are not glad about the explanations of the Russian embassy, because they do not explain the pronouncement of the president of Russia – says Waszczykowski. – We say: The longer you keep our wreckage, not wanting to cooperate with us in the investigation, the more you make the Polish society believe that you are responsible to the catastrophe. We say clearly that Russia has grabbed our property and does not want to give it back.

They did nothing

Exchange of diplomatic notes is not bringing any expected results for now. Waszczykowski says himself that today we are in a much more difficult situation than 6 years ago. At that time none of ministers do something to bring evidence to Poland.

The pronouncement of Putin is inscribed in this narration. If it is impossible to give a substantive answer, the issue should be mocked at. Unfortunately, the same tactics is used by Polish politicians of the current opposition. In September 2010 the prime minister Donald Tusk said that bringing the plane wreckage ‘is not the Polish raison d’etat’ and the chief of the Foreign Ministry played jokes. – The Russians are afraid that Macierewicz will find traces of an atomic bomb on the wreckage of tupolew – Radosław Sikorski said in 2013.

The issue of the catastrophe at Smoleńsk was neglected by the government of the Civic Platform and the Polish Peasant Party. The Russians did what they wanted and Poland did not react at all. For over 5 years Moscow was spitting at our face and Warsaw was pretending that it was raining. – Now the reaction is quick and suitable, whereas before that there was no determination or even a will to explain the causes of the catastrophe or correction of evident lies from Moscow -says a lawyer Małgorzata Wypych, an MP of the Law and Justice Party, who represents families of the casualties of the catastrophe in the court. – In the phase of preparation of the visit in Katyń, Putin did what he wanted and the Polish government agreed to everything. This strange passivity was continued also after 10 April 2010.

AA

„Niedziela” 06/2017

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl