Faced with the Russian threat, more and more Poles are joining the army

There is traffic in the corridor of this military recruitment center, not far from the center of Warsaw. The possibility of open war with Russia is taken very seriously in Poland. On the brink of war for two years, the Poles have been living with the Russian threat and some are starting to prepare by enlisting, for example, in the army.

At 39, Silwia works in the medical field. Today, she came to join the Polish territorial troops: “I will be called for military exercises on the weekend. I will learn the basics there, like in military service, with the handling of weapons, rifles, discipline, etc..”.

A new law

To encourage Poles to get involved, the law was changed a few weeks after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “This new law has considerably facilitated the recruitment process. Today, we can have someone sign the same day they pass the medical and psychological exams“, specifies Adam Lobodowski, head of the Polish army center. And the figures prove it: recruitment is increasing as the Russian threat grows. There were 20,000 candidates just after the start of the war in Ukraine , then 30,000 last year and perhaps more this year again.

Grzegorz has just joined and remains vigilant despite his big smile: “I hope that what I learn here will be of no use to me. But I prefer to be prepared, you never know…“Man is convinced that if he wants peace, he must prepare for war.