On 10 April 2010 , an aircraft carrying Polish President Lech Kaczyński with his wife and 87 other politicians and high-ranking army officers crashed in Smolensk , killing all 96 aboard the aircraft . The passengers were to attend a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre . The Polish nation was stunned ; Prime Minister Donald Tusk , who was not on the plane , referred to the crash as " '' the most tragic Polish event since the war . '' " In the aftermath , a number of conspiracy theories began to circulate . The catastrophe has also had major echoes in the international and particularly the Russian press , prompting a rebroadcast of '' Katyń '' on Russian television . The Polish President was to deliver a speech at the formal commemorations . The speech was to honour the victims , highlight the significance of the massacres in the context of post-war communist political history , as well as stress the need for Polish – Russian relations to focus on reconciliation . Although the speech was never delivered , it has been published with a narration in the original Polish and a translation has also been made available in English
crashed in Smolensk
2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash
Katyn massacre