Poles Rush to Take Up Military Training Amid Fear of Russian Aggression

Over 20,000 Poles Signed Up for Voluntary Military Training in First 7 Months of 2025

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BRANIEWO, Poland — Six kilometers from the Russian border in northern Poland, office administrator Agnieszka Jedruszak is digging a trench. Driven by fear of war with Russia, she wants to be able to defend her family, including her 13-year-old son.

Thousands of Poles like Ms Jedruszak are signing up for voluntary military training as Poland's army seeks to fill its ranks with professional and voluntary personnel amid escalating concerns over Russia's military aggression.

"I'd do anything to keep my child safe. And I would definitely want to fight to protect him," she said, dressed in military fatigues, her face painted in camouflage colors.

For many in Poland—which endured decades of Moscow's domination under the Soviet Union—the fear of Russian hostility looms large.

Those concerns have only grown last week after Poland downed Russian drones in its airspace on Sept 10—the first time a member of the Nato military alliance is known to have fired shots during Russia's war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin last week accused Western countries of an "emotional overload" and hostility towards Russia, which it said posed no threat to them. It has declined to comment on the drone incident.

Ms Jedruszak's military instruction took place in Braniewo, at a training ground for South Korean K-2 tanks, after Poland ordered 180 of them in 2022 under a major military cooperation deal. Nestled among forests and sandy terrain, the site echoed with the roar of tank engines and barked orders.

While she tries to stay focused during her everyday life, Ms Jedruszak said she wanted to prepare for "a new reality."

"It's always somewhere in the back of my mind: the thought that something could happen," said the 36-year-old, who spoke to Reuters before last week's drone incursion.