2010 Smolensk jet crash victims’ exhumed over mix-upNovember 12, 2012 - 16:26 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The remains of two of the victims of the 2010 Smolensk air crash disaster, in which the Polish President Lech Kaczynski was killed, were exhumed Monday, Nov 12, over suspicion that there may have been a mix-up over the bodies, RIA Novosti reports. “Concerns that the bodies may have been exchanged arose after studying documents produced by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, as well as due to opinions of Polish experts” Military Prosecutor Captain Andrzej Wicharski told Polish Press Agency, suggesting that the mistakes stemmed from the mis-identification of the bodies by the Russian side. Those involved have not officially been named, but Polish media has reported them as being two priests, one of whom was buried in Warsaw's Temple of Divine Providence, and the other in a graveyard in the capital's Pyra district. The remains will be sent for analysis by medical and legal experts. The exhumations are the third this year involving those killed in the accident. In the fall, Polish investigators twice carried out exhumations to confirm the identities of four bodies including the last Polish president in exile Ryszard Kaczorowski. The results of the analysis showed the bodies had been buried in the wrong graves. In all four cases the mistakes occurred due to misidentification of the dead by their relatives and friends. Another three bodies were later exhumed in 2011 at the request of relatives, but were subsequently confirmed as being correctly identified. The misidentification of the bodies is the latest in a series of scandals and intrigue around the crash. Russia and Poland have repeatedly disagreed on the precise causes of the incident, with Poland claiming Russian air traffic controllers were partly to blame, while Russia said the fault lay purely with the crew's failure to fly a correct instrument approach. The editor-in-chief of Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita resigned earlier this month after publishing an article on October 30 claiming explosives were found at the scene of the plane crash. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. |