… after the April 2010 plane crash that killed ninety six Polish dignitaries on their way to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences, but rather undiplomatic-ally added that the incident at Katyn may have been an act of revenge for Polish atrocities committed during the 1920 Polish-Soviet War.
While large numbers of Soviet troops died during the war, they were not executed as at Katyn, but were killed in battle. Most of these casualties occurred during a dramatic flanking maneuver personally led by Pilsudski, which in turned the tide of the war and likely prevented communist revolution in Europe in the aftermath of WWI. The Soviets, particularly Stalin who was personally involved in this defeat, never forgave Pilsudski or Poland for this heroic feat. This animosity is apparent even today , decades after the fall of communism.
Unvanquished: Joseph Pilsidski, Resurrected p xiii
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