Polish citizens are massively involved in military training against the backdrop of Russian aggression - Reuters

At the Landfill in Branev, she, together with professional soldiers, acquires military skills and digs trenches, training on the South Korean K-2 tanks. The woman explains that, in fact, the main reason for her participation is the desire, so to speak, to protect his 13-year-old son and family from a potential threat. "I would do my best to keep my baby safe. And I would definitely want to fight for his defense," the woman said.

The fear of Russia's aggression is known to be deeply rooted in Polish society, in particular through the historical experience of Soviet domination. The fears have only intensified after the Polish soldiers were knocked down by Russian drones in their airspace this week - which, it should be noted, is the first known case of NATO weapons during Russia's war in Ukraine.

In addition, the colonel and head of the Central Military Center of Poland Grzegozh Vavzhinkevich reported that in the first seven months of 2025, more than 20,000 citizens were enrolled in voluntary military assembly, and by the end of the year about 40,000 volunteers were expected. This, so to speak, is twice the rates of 2022 and obviously indicates the increased interest of citizens in the country's defense.

In general, the voluntary training program makes it possible to study alongside professional military, but this does not necessarily mean participation in hostilities. Volunteers can serve in territorial defense, reserve or remain in passive composition, as well as engage in emergencies or crisis events at the local level. The publication also notes that since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Poland has significantly increased defense costs - from 2. 2% of GDP in 2022 to 4. 7% this year.

To enhance the country's defense capability, the construction of the Eastern Shield has been started-a 400-mile line of anti-tank barriers along the border with Belarus and Kaliningrad region, as well as moving military units closer to the eastern border, which, no doubt, increases the level of readiness. According to Deputy Minister of Defense Pavel Zalevsky, the Polish armed forces are ready to respond to threats today and ensure security in the future.

Experts say that the readiness of the Eastern Europeans for service in the army is higher than in Western countries, which gives Poland the advantage. In particular, Poland has the third largest army in NATO after the US and Turkey - about 216,000 soldiers. This is less than the Russian army, which is planned to increase to 1. 5 million people. However, Poland is actively increasing its strength and plans to increase them by almost a third in the following years.

Compared to other European countries, such as Germany or the United Kingdom, Poland demonstrates a high level of recruitment and mobilization. According to Colonel Pavel Vronka: "Reservists always play a key role in long conflicts. " Reuters writes that European countries also increase defense costs, but NATO's ability to respond to Russia depends largely on the US, especially in high -tech areas - drones, missiles, air defense.

In addition, according to Zalevsky, from 2026 Poland plans to teach 100,000 volunteers by 2027. "We are preparing for the threats that are today and for those that can appear tomorrow," he stressed. We will remind that the network posted a video that recorded the placement of starting installations of the operative-tactical complexes "Iskander" in the Kaliningrad region. The authors suggest that the technique was moving near the border with Poland.