Shooting class in elementary schools, looser gun control rules, twice the size of the army. These are just a few of the measures and drafts that were created in the minds of Polish legislators as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Warsaw acted as Moscow's sharpest and loudest critic after the outbreak of the war, and both society and politicians fear that they will be next after Kiev.
Russia may also take more serious military steps, as well as continue asymmetric warfare against us, for example in the form of acts of terrorism
- pointed out Polish Eryk Klossowski, who, after the outbreak of the war in February, turned to the management of his workplace with the request that they provide firearms training to the employees of the company. Speaking to the American newspaper The Washington Post, Klossowski said that in response to his unusual request, after-hours sessions will become regular in the fall, in which hundreds of people will be able to participate.
The Poles fear Russia because of their history, and this was exacerbated by Moscow's war in Ukraine. According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center ,
94 percent of society sees Russia as a significant threat, which is a drastic increase compared to 2018 data, when the ratio was 65 percent.
The statistics regarding the assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin are similar, more than 90 percent of Poles do not trust the Russian leader at all, while the social support of American President Joe Biden is 82 percent. Almost the same trend can be observed in the member states of NATO's eastern wing, such as the Baltic countries.
Starting in September, not only the various companies will organize training in the use of weapons, but Polish educational institutions will also put them on their timetables.
If Russia should ever attack us, the Kremlin should know that forty million Poles are ready to fight to defend their homeland
- said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at the dedication of a high school shooting range in June. Starting in September, students turning 13 will have to attend limited weapons training, which Education Minister Przemyslaw Czarnek said would have been unthinkable before the war in Ukraine.
If a politician had made a similar proposal ten years ago, we would probably have laughed at him. However, the tragic events in Ukraine have shown that the threat is real
- said the head of the ministry. He added that it is not about the militarization of children, they can only acquire knowledge that can be useful in the event of an actual conflict.
Although Polish gun control regulations are currently among the strictest in Europe, the demand for firearms increased dramatically after the outbreak of the war. As a result, the government is already working on relaxing ,
the new proposal would ease gun ownership requirements and also speed up the process of acquiring guns.
In addition, it would make it easier for members of the paramilitary organizations operating in the country, as well as the Ukrainian-style territorial defense forces, to purchase firearms. - There is no doubt that as many people as possible should be able to get a gun and learn how to use it - said Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszcak.
In addition to all this, the government also promised to double the number of the army. The number of soldiers would be increased to 300,000, and the ratio of defense spending to GDP would also be increased to three percent.
Featured image: Civilians test weapons at a Polish shooting range (Photo: AFP/Michal Fludra)
