Poland Prepares Its People for War With Russia

Written on 27 March 2025.

The Polish government intends to prepare its entire population for a potential war with Russia, said Chief of the General Staff Wiesław Kukuła. The country has announced military training courses for both men and women, Politico reports.The plan includes short courses in civil defense and first aid for civilians with no military experience, firearms training programs for those with basic military background, and the expansion of a school program called “Education with the Army.”

“We are neighbors with the Russian Federation and its ally Belarus, so we don’t have a buffer between us and them, and we have only a limited time to prepare and respond,” Kukuła said.

Poland is strengthening its defense capabilities, and now has the largest army in Europe and is spending billions of euros on modern weapons – from fighter jets and tanks to missiles and artillery.

 “[The] Russians are building a massive army in the rear. If peace is not reached and the split within NATO continues, Russia will attack the Baltic states,” said former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Leon Komornicki.

“This could happen at the end of this year or the beginning of next. An invasion is part of their plan,” Komornicki said.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk previously announced ambitious plans: to grow Poland’s regular armed forces to 500,000, and to train millions of reservists trained by the end of 2025.

“By the end of the year, we want to have a model ready so that every adult male in Poland is trained for war, and so that this reserve is adequate for possible threats,” Tusk said in parliament, adding that women can also sign up.

The military training will be voluntary and short-term: within just a few days, civilians will be introduced to the basics of civil defense, first aid, and self-defense skills.

Poland is expected to present the full plan for training soldiers, reservists, and civilians by the end of this month, after which legislative work on its implementation will begin.

The plan aims to train 100,000 people by the end of 2026 in its initial phase. However, the approach has already drawn criticism.

Former commander of Poland’s rocket and artillery forces, Jarosław Kraszewski, considers that number to be too low. He believes that Polish society has grown too comfortable and forgotten the importance of basic military preparedness.

“Training 100,000 people a year? Too few. We should bring back [the] draft,” the general said. “We have switched to a consumerist lifestyle, the joys of democracy, and traveling around the world without any problems, but we have forgotten that each of us should have basic knowledge in this area.”

In fear of a potential war, Poland also plans to begin preparing school students. Starting as early as September, civil defense subjects may be included in physical education classes.

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