RUSSIA: Polish President Dies in Plane Crash

On 10 April, Polish President Lech Kacynski and 97 other passengers were killed in a plane crash. The President and several dignitaries were in route to a ceremony commemorating the Katyn forest massacre, where 22,000 Polish officers were killed by Russin secret police. Also on board the plane was the deputy foreign minister, head of the National Security Office, and the deputy parliament speaker. The Polish Military suffered a significant loss of leadership, as the army chief of staff, navy chief commander, and heads of the air and land forces were also aboard the flight. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin held a video conference shortly after the crash offering to assist the family members of the dead with their physiological, psychological, and other needs.