WARSAW -- Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski has hailed the decision of Russia's parliament to recognize Katyn massacre as a crime committed by Stalin's regime.
Poland hails Russian recognition of Katyn massacre
WARSAW -- Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski has hailed the decision of Russia's parliament to recognize Katyn massacre as a crime committed by Stalin's regime.
Source: Ria novosti
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Medvedev is scheduled to visit Poland by the end of the year.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the Russian State Duma's decision a "good step" and said he expects further steps from Russia in the same direction.
According to official data, over 20,000 Polish officers were killed in 1940 by the NKVD - the Soviet secret police. The executions took place in various parts of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The largest massacre occurred in the Katyn forest near the Russian city of Smolensk.
The Communists, who opposed the declaration after it was drafted, say the Polish officers were executed "by German occupation authorities in the fall of 1941, rather than by the NKVD in 1940." They also say they can provide documents to prove their viewpoint.
Communist lawmaker Vladimir Kashin said if the draft was adopted then the relatives of those shot in the massacre would attempt to gain financial compensation from Russia.
The issue has been a source of tension in Russian-Polish ties, but Russia's recent admission that Soviet forces were responsible did much to improve relations.
President Lech Kaczynski and other Polish dignitaries were killed in a plane crash earlier this year whilst on their way to a memorial ceremony for the Polish officers slain in Russia.
A) The Russian Federation chose to declare itself as the successor to the Soviet Union
B) Poland was not a Soviet republic
(balkanico, 28 November 2010 13:27) really i beg to differ half of poland was under soviet and the other half was occupied by the nazis
and 2 stalin was Georgian and the soviet head office was in Moscow but they are all soviets from all republics so next time when you post think but i dont expect much from albanians.
(mike, 29 November 2010 00:54)
C`mon, tommy! Hitler was austrian and in the Waffen-SS was half of Europe. That is what you call lame excuses.
(Adrian, Timisoara, 27 November 2010 15:43) it was the soviets to blame not i country then all the former soviet republics should apologize including poland
(tommy, 27 November 2010 17:13)
A) The Russian Federation chose to declare itself as the successor to the Soviet Union
B) Poland was not a Soviet republic
(balkanico, 28 November 2010 13:27)
C`mon, tommy! Hitler was austrian and in the Waffen-SS was half of Europe. That is what you call lame excuses.
(Adrian, Timisoara, 27 November 2010 15:43) it was the soviets to blame not i country then all the former soviet republics should apologize including poland
(tommy, 27 November 2010 17:13)
I think Russia has made a great decision here, it was a honest thing to do.
@ Tommy
No-one is blaming Russia or Russians. The ones who are to blame are the Soviets who committed and ordered the massacre, some of which were ethnic Russians, others weren't. Remember Stalin was only half Georgian, he was also half Ossetian. He had an Ossetian father and a Georgian mother.
The Soviet Union was very anti-Polish at the time. They invaded Poland and annexed the east of it. They killed many Polish people and soldiers. In 1944 when the Soviets were driving the Nazis out of Eastern and Central Europe, the Soviet Union deliberately slowed down the advance through Poland as they didn't want to provide support to the Polish Underground. The Polish Underground were defeated by the Nazis in 1944, because they rose up when they thought the Soviets were coming to help, however the Red Army never came as it was ordered to slow down; the reason being that the Polish Underground wanted to establish as a Capitalist Democracy, the Soviet Union had other plans for Poland. Berlin could have been taken two weeks sooner however Stalin didn't want a Polish general taking the glory for it. Then the Soviet Union established a puppet state in Poland which lasted till 1989. Can you blame the Poles for not liking the Government in Moscow?
Search in google "Soviet repressions of Polish citizens (1939–1946)" interesting stuff.
(Ian, UK, 27 November 2010 16:27)
C`mon, tommy! Hitler was austrian and in the Waffen-SS was half of Europe. That is what you call lame excuses.
(Adrian, Timisoara, 27 November 2010 15:43)
the funny thing is you cant blame the Russians for the massacre because Stalin was not Russian but a Georgian and the people that did the killings were from all the former soviet republics including polish that killed polish because it was a regime of 1 and not what nationality you are.
(tommy, 27 November 2010 15:26)
C`mon, tommy! Hitler was austrian and in the Waffen-SS was half of Europe. That is what you call lame excuses.
(Adrian, Timisoara, 27 November 2010 15:43)
the funny thing is you cant blame the Russians for the massacre because Stalin was not Russian but a Georgian and the people that did the killings were from all the former soviet republics including polish that killed polish because it was a regime of 1 and not what nationality you are.
(tommy, 27 November 2010 15:26)
I think Russia has made a great decision here, it was a honest thing to do.
@ Tommy
No-one is blaming Russia or Russians. The ones who are to blame are the Soviets who committed and ordered the massacre, some of which were ethnic Russians, others weren't. Remember Stalin was only half Georgian, he was also half Ossetian. He had an Ossetian father and a Georgian mother.
The Soviet Union was very anti-Polish at the time. They invaded Poland and annexed the east of it. They killed many Polish people and soldiers. In 1944 when the Soviets were driving the Nazis out of Eastern and Central Europe, the Soviet Union deliberately slowed down the advance through Poland as they didn't want to provide support to the Polish Underground. The Polish Underground were defeated by the Nazis in 1944, because they rose up when they thought the Soviets were coming to help, however the Red Army never came as it was ordered to slow down; the reason being that the Polish Underground wanted to establish as a Capitalist Democracy, the Soviet Union had other plans for Poland. Berlin could have been taken two weeks sooner however Stalin didn't want a Polish general taking the glory for it. Then the Soviet Union established a puppet state in Poland which lasted till 1989. Can you blame the Poles for not liking the Government in Moscow?
Search in google "Soviet repressions of Polish citizens (1939–1946)" interesting stuff.
(Ian, UK, 27 November 2010 16:27)
C`mon, tommy! Hitler was austrian and in the Waffen-SS was half of Europe. That is what you call lame excuses.
(Adrian, Timisoara, 27 November 2010 15:43) it was the soviets to blame not i country then all the former soviet republics should apologize including poland
(tommy, 27 November 2010 17:13)
C`mon, tommy! Hitler was austrian and in the Waffen-SS was half of Europe. That is what you call lame excuses.
(Adrian, Timisoara, 27 November 2010 15:43) it was the soviets to blame not i country then all the former soviet republics should apologize including poland
(tommy, 27 November 2010 17:13)
A) The Russian Federation chose to declare itself as the successor to the Soviet Union
B) Poland was not a Soviet republic
(balkanico, 28 November 2010 13:27)
A) The Russian Federation chose to declare itself as the successor to the Soviet Union
B) Poland was not a Soviet republic
(balkanico, 28 November 2010 13:27) really i beg to differ half of poland was under soviet and the other half was occupied by the nazis
and 2 stalin was Georgian and the soviet head office was in Moscow but they are all soviets from all republics so next time when you post think but i dont expect much from albanians.
(mike, 29 November 2010 00:54)
C`mon, tommy! Hitler was austrian and in the Waffen-SS was half of Europe. That is what you call lame excuses.
(Adrian, Timisoara, 27 November 2010 15:43)
the funny thing is you cant blame the Russians for the massacre because Stalin was not Russian but a Georgian and the people that did the killings were from all the former soviet republics including polish that killed polish because it was a regime of 1 and not what nationality you are.
(tommy, 27 November 2010 15:26)
C`mon, tommy! Hitler was austrian and in the Waffen-SS was half of Europe. That is what you call lame excuses.
(Adrian, Timisoara, 27 November 2010 15:43) it was the soviets to blame not i country then all the former soviet republics should apologize including poland
(tommy, 27 November 2010 17:13)
I think Russia has made a great decision here, it was a honest thing to do.
@ Tommy
No-one is blaming Russia or Russians. The ones who are to blame are the Soviets who committed and ordered the massacre, some of which were ethnic Russians, others weren't. Remember Stalin was only half Georgian, he was also half Ossetian. He had an Ossetian father and a Georgian mother.
The Soviet Union was very anti-Polish at the time. They invaded Poland and annexed the east of it. They killed many Polish people and soldiers. In 1944 when the Soviets were driving the Nazis out of Eastern and Central Europe, the Soviet Union deliberately slowed down the advance through Poland as they didn't want to provide support to the Polish Underground. The Polish Underground were defeated by the Nazis in 1944, because they rose up when they thought the Soviets were coming to help, however the Red Army never came as it was ordered to slow down; the reason being that the Polish Underground wanted to establish as a Capitalist Democracy, the Soviet Union had other plans for Poland. Berlin could have been taken two weeks sooner however Stalin didn't want a Polish general taking the glory for it. Then the Soviet Union established a puppet state in Poland which lasted till 1989. Can you blame the Poles for not liking the Government in Moscow?
Search in google "Soviet repressions of Polish citizens (1939–1946)" interesting stuff.
(Ian, UK, 27 November 2010 16:27)
C`mon, tommy! Hitler was austrian and in the Waffen-SS was half of Europe. That is what you call lame excuses.
(Adrian, Timisoara, 27 November 2010 15:43) it was the soviets to blame not i country then all the former soviet republics should apologize including poland
(tommy, 27 November 2010 17:13)
A) The Russian Federation chose to declare itself as the successor to the Soviet Union
B) Poland was not a Soviet republic
(balkanico, 28 November 2010 13:27)
A) The Russian Federation chose to declare itself as the successor to the Soviet Union
B) Poland was not a Soviet republic
(balkanico, 28 November 2010 13:27) really i beg to differ half of poland was under soviet and the other half was occupied by the nazis
and 2 stalin was Georgian and the soviet head office was in Moscow but they are all soviets from all republics so next time when you post think but i dont expect much from albanians.
(mike, 29 November 2010 00:54)