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Poland's president, 96 others die in Russia jet crash

by Victoria Buravchenko and Monika Scislowska - Apr. 10, 2010 08:28 AM
Associated Press

SMOLENSK, Russia - Polish President Lech Kaczynski and some of the country's highest military and civilian leaders died on Saturday when the presidential plane crashed as it came in for a landing in thick fog in western Russia, killing 97, officials said.

Continues @ AZCentral.com

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Box at the same link  (with Emphasis added here)

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A glance at some of the most prominent victims of the crash of Poland's presidential plane, according to the official passenger list, released by the president's office.

- Lech Kaczynski, 60. Poland's president, a nationalist conservative who had been in office since 2005. A founder of the Law and Justice party, now in opposition, and the twin brother of its leader, former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

- Maria Kaczynska, 66, Poland's first lady; an economist and translator of English and French, had carried out charity work in her role as first lady. Her uncle was killed at Katyn.

- Gen. Franciszek Gagor, 58. Army chief of staff since Feb. 2006. From 2004 to 2006, was Poland's representative at NATO in Brussels.

- Gen. Andrzej Blasik, 47, head of the Air Force since 2007. Received professional military education in Montgomery, Alabama, in 2005.

- Vice Admiral Andrzej Karweta, 51, Navy chief commander since November 2009. From 2002-2005 served at the Supreme Allied Command Atlantic, SACLANT in Norfolk, Virginia.

- Gen. Tadeusz Buk, 49, land forces commander since Sept. 2009. Served in 2007 as commander of Polish troops in Iraq.

- Slawomir Skrzypek, 46, president of the National Bank of Poland since 2007. A longtime colleague of Lech Kaczynski, served under him at Warsaw City Hall from 2002-5.

- Aleksander Szczyglo, 46, head of the National Security Office, a former defense minister under Kaczynski's brother.

- Jerzy Szmajdzinski, 58, a deputy parliament speaker, left-wing lawmaker and the opposition Democratic Left Alliance's candidate for presidential elections this year. Served as defense minister at the time of the Iraq war.

- Ryszard Kaczorowski, 90, from 1989-90 Poland's last president-in-exile in London. In December 1990, passed on the insignia of the presidency to the first democratically elected president, Lech Walesa, in a high-profile ceremony.

- Janusz Kurtyka, 49. A historian; since 2005 head of state-run National Remembrance Institute, which investigates communist-era crimes.

- Anna Walentynowicz, 80, Solidarity activist. Her firing in August 1980 from the Lenin Shipyards in Gdansk sparked a workers' strike that spurred the eventual creation of the freedom movement, of which she became a prominent member.

- Piotr Nurowski, 64, head of Poland's Olympic Committee.

- Krystyna Bochenek, 56, deputy parliament speaker, member of the prime minister's Civic Platform party.

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Many good people lost.  That list is a whole administration.

Something stinks... in Poland/Russia.

-- Edited by Sanders on Saturday 10th of April 2010 01:10:26 PM