Lech Kaczynski knew that Putin would not stop with the invasion of Georgia. The events in Crimea and Ukraine confirmed it.
SCND August 8, 2014
Mikhail Saakashvili, former President of Georgia
"Lech Kaczynski was a symbol of great courage. During his trip to Georgia [in 2008] he showed that he was not afraid of Putin" - said former President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, during a private visit to Poland.
When placing flowers at the monument of Lech and Maria Kaczynski in Radom, Poland, Saakashvili said that he had come to pay tribute to his great friend, with whom - he emphasized - he shared his outlook on politics.
“This man was a hero of my country. During the most important moments for Europe, he showed amazing courage" - said President Saakashvili about the late President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, and also emphasized that already then [in 2008], the late President knew that Putin would not stop with the invasion of Georgia.
The former president of Georgia recalled the arrival of Lech Kaczynski, along with other leaders of European countries to Georgia in 2008. "It was not only his own heroism, but also a sacrifice for our country. I'll never forget the moment when he landed on our soil and asked to see the place where the Russian occupiers were. We headed there risking our lives. When shots rang out, we all fell to the ground. Only President Kaczynski stood defiant, with immense pride on his face, exhibiting extraordinary courage" - Saakashvili said.
Former Georgian president stressed that many people thought that Russia's attack on Georgia was an isolated case. In his opinion, however, Lech Kaczynski understood from the very beginning that Putin would not stop with the invasion of Georgia, as the events in Crimea and Ukraine confirmed it.
The trip to Smolensk was expected to highlight Russia finally admitting culpability in the massacre, after long having blamed it on the Germans, an atrocity they had tried to conceal for over 70 years.
As for the reception committee, it had different ideas. Putin wasn’t looking forward to such an occasion. Into this poisonous reception brew was President Kaczynski’s well-known public criticism of Moscow and Putin, a habit that has ended the lives of others within Russia – and abroad. A few discouraging Russian requirements – that Kaczynski could not attend in any official capacity – did not halt the Poles. Kaczynski would go anyway on non-official, “personal” business. To Russians, such a distinction would be meaningless, not lessening the possible international excoriation of such an event. A problem ripe for a modern, Russian solution: a tragic, ‘natural’ accident.
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