Polish Defense Minister: Russia asked for journalists who covered Smolensk plane crash to be 'dealt with'
The Polish Minister of National Defence, Anthony Macierewicz, said that the Russian Federation asked the Former Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, to "deal" with the journalists who reported on the Smolensk disaster, stating that it was an assassination attempt, as Radio Poland reports.
"According to the report as well as the reports of the investigative groups and ambassadors, Russia demanded that both the parliamentary groups and journalists who said that the Smolensk disaster was an assassination attempt be dealt with saying that their statements damaged Polish-Russian relations," Anthony Macierewicz said.
In turn, the chief editor of Gazeta Polska, Tomasz Sakevich, said that "It would be an unheard of situation if we were seen as not only controlling what is written, but that we were doing it at someone’s request - blackmailed by the Russians - it means that we have to deal with traitors."
As was previously reported, the Polish presidential Tu-154M crashed near Smolensk on the 10th of April 2010. All 96 people who were on board died. The Interstate Aviation Committee said the crash was the result of errors made by the crew. In April 2015, Russia's Investigative Committee came to the conclusion that there was no fault on the part of the Russian dispatchers.