Why Russia refuses to hand over Kaczynski plane wreckage after Smolensk plane crash

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

Regarding the investigation into the Tu-154 crash in Smolensk, where the then President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, along with a number of high-ranking officials, public figures, and clergy representatives, totaling 96 individuals including 8 crew members, perished, Bobolovich stated: "We have an investigative committee that is investigating these cases, there are statements that it has almost completed its work and here the matter will be much more difficult, because we understand that until the plane is returned from the Russian Federation, then really all conclusions, even if not in this case, there will always be a part of Poles who will not fully trust those conclusions and the result of the investigation."

The Polish journalist explained that if the case is not resolved, it will still be revisited.

"A large part of Poles simply believe that it was an assassination attempt, and even though there is no evidence, the fact that Russia was behind it and how they did it - it's a matter that needs to be clarified, but it's unrealistic now because we don't have access to all the evidence including the plane, which is in the Russian Federation. The fact that Russia is holding onto this plane and refuses to hand it over to Poland is also evidence that it is guilty in this situation, in the catastrophe that occurred on April 10, 2010," he said.

According to the media expert, the case has divided Polish society from the very beginning, as part of the political elite tried to prove that this case could unite Poland with Russia, claiming that it would investigate the catastrophe, but it did not happen.

"It quickly became clear that Russia would not behave itself, and this is the result we see today. In fact, this case also translates into other political matters and people who believe that Russia is behind it will never fully trust those Poles who say it was just an airplane crash. It is clear that Russia is playing on this; we cannot say how it was, but one thing we can say is that Russia has been using this from the very beginning as leverage on Poland's politics," concluded Bobolovich.

• The plane carrying President Lech Kaczynski crashed in April 2010. Among the causes of the tragedy were a thermobaric explosion and the fault of Russian controllers. In 2019, experts from a British laboratory confirmed traces of explosives on the wreckage of the plane carrying Kaczynski.

• On December 15, 2023, it became known that Poland had decided to liquidate the subcommittee of the Ministry of Defense that investigated the plane crash near Smolensk, which killed President Lech Kaczynski in 2010.