Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, approved a declaration Friday, stating the 1940 massacre of some 22 000 Polish officers in the Katyn forest in Russia was a direct order by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

This is the first time Stalin's name is officially connected to the massacre by the Russian state.

"Materials that for many years have been kept in secret archives and have now been published not only show the extent of this terrible tragedy but show that the Katyn crime was carried out on the direct orders of Stalin and other Soviet leaders," the Duma statement said.

The Parliament expressed its " deep sympathy for the victims of this unjustified repression."

The Katyn Forest massacre was a mass murder of Polish nationals carried out by the Soviet secret police NKVD in April–May 1940. It was based on Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of the Polish Officer Corps, dated 5 March 1940.

This official document was then approved and signed by the Soviet Politburo, including Joseph Stalin. The number of victims is estimated at about 22,000.Nazi Germany announced the discovery of the mass graves in 1943

This year, another tragedy took place near the Katyn forest. Polish President Lech Kaczynski, together with much of the political and military elite of the country died on April 10 on their way to pay tribute to the victims of the Katyn Massacre and take part in remembrance ceremonies. All 94 passengers and crew were killed.

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