News

The General Investigative Office of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has received a final report of the Technical Commission on the causes of the Tu-154 wreck near Smolensk, with the President of Poland on board, on April 10, 2010. The decision of the Technical Commission and the comments of the Polish side are also enclosed in the report. Together with the report the investigators received real evidence, which had been submitted to the Technical Commission. Precisely, the investigators had given fragments of aircraft, equipment, flight data recorders and other materials taken from the scene of catastrophe. As part of this case all the necessary forensic examination of this evidence will be appointed. After studying the final report of the Technical Commission the investigators will appoint aircraft maintenance psychological forensic examination.

It should be noted that during the period of investigation 28 volumes of copies of the file have already been sent to the competent authorities of the Republic of Poland, and another 30 volumes are ready to be sent. Russian investigators are ready to continue cooperation with their Polish counterparts. Taking into account the proposals of the Polish side, the Investigative Committee will hold interviews of witnesses and other necessary investigative actions in the presence of representatives of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Poland.

In addition to already done investigation the Investigative Committee is still waiting to get responses to five requests for international legal assistance, which had been sent to the competent authorities of the Republic of Poland. In particular, the Russian investigators have not yet received from the Polish side the requested information about phone calls made by the passengers on board of the plane at the time of its descending before landing at the airfield "Severny". Taking into account the information from the Polish side, witnesses will be questioned and other investigative activities will be performed if it is necessary and with the advice and consent of the Polish colleagues.

Only by comparing and analyzing all the available materials of the case, including the report of the Technical Commission, the results of aircraft maintenance, psychological and other forensic examinations, as well as after completion of the entire volume of the investigative and other procedural actions, execution of orders for international legal assistance, investigation will be able to take a procedural decision, which will determine the causes and conditions that led to the catastrophe and the people responsible for this.