A ceremony was held in Poland to commemorate those 96 people, including former Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, Maria Kaczynska, died in a plane crash in Russia in 2010. The Polish President Andrzej Duda and the only child of the Kaczynsk family, Marta Kaczynska, were among the attendees.
Stating that the casualties were people who went to commemorate the Polish officers killed by the Soviets in Katyn and were dedicated to the Polish cause, Duda said, “These people are very valuable people who have done a lot for Poland. It is regrettable that they could not continue their work for Poland today. However, we are trying our best to continue this work. I hope it is as they imagined.”
The crash still sparks controversy among Polish people. The ruling party and its supporters claim that the plane was shot down by Russia, while opposition parties argue that the plane crash was the fault of the pilot.