BRANIEWO, Poland, Sept 13 (Reuters) – Six kilometres 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 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,” said Jedruszak, dressed in military fatigues, her face painted in camouflage colours. 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 this week after Poland downed Russian drones in its airspace on Wednesday – the first time a member of the NATO military alliance is known to have fired shots during Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Kremlin this week accused Western countries of an ’emotional overload’ and hostility towards Russia, opens new tab, which it said posed no threat to them. It has declined to comment on the drone incident.
Fearful of the threat from the east, Poland launched in May last year a 400-mile-long “East Shield” fortification along its borders with Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad – combining long stretches of anti-tank barriers known as “hedgehogs” with advanced surveillance and electronic warfare systems Tusk’s government is also relocating military units to the east to tap into stronger recruitment goals.
That’s dwarfed by the size of Russia’s army, which President Vladimir Putin ordered in September to be increased by 180,000 troops to 1.5 million active servicemen.
Poland’s shrinking and aging population presents a challenge, opens new tab, but officials hope that the fresh initiatives will help overcome them. While some other European members of NATO, including Finland and the Baltic states, have also grown their military ranks, traditional European powers like Germany and Britain have struggled. Trump’s scepticism toward NATO and opposition to Ukraine’s membership have prompted allies to reassess their defence strategies. European nations have acknowledged the growing threat and have increased their military spending, including through regional defence initiatives like SAFE.
But an analysis in June by Atlantic Council, opens new tab, a Washington-based think tank, concluded that NATO’s ability to respond to Russian aggression remains heavily reliant on U.S. capabilities – especially for fighter jets, missiles and air defence systems. Moreover, unlike Russia, most European armies lack robust reserve components, making it difficult to sustain heavy losses over extended period.