Thousands In Poland Join Military Training Amid Rising Russian Threat

News In Short:

In northern Poland, Agnieszka Jedruszak and thousands of volunteers join military training, driven by fears of Russian aggression. Poland, NATO’s third-largest military, boosts defense spending and fortifies borders. With 20,000 volunteers trained in 2025 and plans for 100,000 more, Poles prepare for conflict, motivated by history and recent Russian drone incursions.

News In Detail: Poland

In a small town in northern Poland, just six kilometers from the Russian border, Agnieszka Jedruszak, a 36-year-old office administrator, is learning to dig a trench. She’s not a soldier, but she’s training with the military because she’s worried about the possibility of war with Russia. As a mom to a 13-year-old son, she wants to be ready to protect her family. “I’d do anything to keep my child safe,” she says, dressed in military gear with her face painted in camouflage. “I’d fight for him.”

Agnieszka isn’t alone. Thousands of people in Poland are signing up for voluntary military training, driven by fears of Russia’s actions, especially since the war in Ukraine began in 2022. This week, tensions spiked when Poland shot down Russian drones in its airspace—the first time a NATO country has fired shots during Russia’s war with Ukraine. For Poles like Agnieszka, who grew up hearing stories of Soviet control, the threat feels very real. “It’s always in the back of my mind,” she admits, “the thought that something could happen.”

Poland’s army is growing fast, with over 20,000 people joining voluntary training programs in the first seven months of 2025, matching last year’s record numbers. By the end of this year, around 40,000 volunteers are expected to complete training, more than double the number from 2022. Colonel Grzegorz Wawrzynkiewicz, who oversees recruitment, says this surge shows how seriously Poles are taking the situation.

Poland has also boosted its defense spending, now at 4.7% of its economy—the highest in NATO, outpacing countries like Germany, France, and Britain. The country is building a 400-mile-long “East Shield” along its borders with Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad region, complete with anti-tank barriers and high-tech surveillance. They’re also moving military units to eastern Poland, where people are eager to join and defend their hometowns.

Agnieszka’s training took place in Braniewo, at a site where South Korean K-2 tanks roar through the forest. Poland bought 180 of these tanks in 2022 as part of a big military upgrade. The focus is on being mobile, well-armored, and ready for anything, with strong air defenses and supply lines.

The training program is flexible—volunteers like Agnieszka don’t have to become full-time soldiers. They can join the Territorial Defence Forces, which lets them serve part-time near home and step up during emergencies, like natural disasters or border crises. Others can stay in the reserves, ready to help if needed. This setup, similar to systems in Lithuania and Germany, lets Poland build a strong, scalable force.

Poland’s military is already NATO’s third largest, with 216,000 personnel, behind only the U.S. and Turkey. But Russia’s army is much bigger, recently expanded to 1.5 million active troops. Poland plans to grow its forces by nearly a third over the next decade, despite challenges like a shrinking and aging population. Other European countries, like Germany and Britain, are struggling to recruit enough soldiers, with Germany short 20,000 troops and Britain’s army at its smallest in over 300 years.

Experts like Gustav Gressel, a researcher in Vienna, say Eastern Europeans like Poles are more motivated to join because they’ve lived through Russian or Soviet occupation. “They know what they’re fighting for,” he says. Meanwhile, Western European countries, without that history, often find it harder to rally people.

The return of Donald Trump to the White House has added to Europe’s worries. His doubts about defending NATO allies have pushed leaders like Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk to call for Europe to take charge of its own security. Tusk, who grew up under Communist rule, is leading efforts to prepare Poland for any threat.

Poland is also planning a new program to train 100,000 volunteers in military and civil defense starting next year. Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski says they’re preparing for both today’s threats and what might come tomorrow. “When war looms,” says Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk, “it’s the basics that matter: fuel, ammunition, and people.”

For Agnieszka, it’s about being ready for a “new reality.” She tries to focus on daily life, but the possibility of conflict is always there. By training, she’s taking steps to protect her son and her country, one trench at a time.

https://theeasterntimes.com/stress-management-3-simple-steps/

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