| GEO World | | Putin, Medvedev send condolences, vow 'detailed' crash probe | Updated at: 1556 PST, Saturday, April 10, 2010
 MOSCOW: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev offered condolences to Polish leaders and vowed a thorough probe into the crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski on Saturday, news agencies reported.
Putin voiced sympathy over the "tragic" crash in a phone call with his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, said the spokesman for the Russian prime minister, Dmitry Peskov.
"Vladimir Putin called Prime Minister Donald Tusk and expressed condolences over the tragic plane crash near Smolensk to him and to the entire Polish people," Peskov told Russian news agencies.
"I have given an order to carry out a detailed investigation of the accident with complete and close cooperation with the Polish side," Medvedev said in a message to Bronislaw Komorowski, the Marshal of the Sejm -- head of the Polish parliament -- who is set to take over Kascynski's duties.
"Russia shares Poland's grief and mourning. I ask you to offer my sincerest condolences to the Polish people, words of sympathy and support for the relatives and loved ones of the dead," said the message, posted on the Kremlin website.
A total of 96 people were on board the plane that crashed near the western Russian city of Smolensk, all of whom are believed to be dead.
Separately, the foreign ministry said in a statement that Russia was ready to expedite visas for Polish investigators to travel to the crash and said Russian investigators were staying in close contact with Polish authorities. |  |
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