Poland to add 20,000 soldiers in 2023

Poland wants to increase the size of its army by 20,000 in 2023, the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday.

“First of all, we want to create additional divisions in the coming years. We want to recruit at least 20,000 soldiers into the forces in 2023,” Mateusz Morawiecki said at a press conference held during the Niedźwiedź-22 (Bear-22) military exercises in the south-eastern town of Nowa Dęba, addind that “I am not talking only about the Territorial Defence Forces, but also about basic military service.”

He also said that this would require the implementation of modern training systems. “After examining how this looks with our allies, we want the army to be as flexible as possible, and to train as many people as possible,” said the prime minister.

Poland is accelerating an overhaul of its armed forces owing to the war in Ukraine. The government has launched a recruitment drive to increase the size of the Polish Army while placing multi-billion-dollar orders for new tanks, artillery and attack helicopters.

Russia will try to destroy Ukraine

The Polish PM also said on Wednesday that Russia will attempt to destroy Ukraine and change its borders, commenting on a partial mobilisation announced by Moscow.

“We will do all we can with our allies, so that NATO supports Ukraine even more so that it can defend itself,” Mr Morawiecki said, urging more help for Kyiv from western allies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called up 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine and said Moscow would respond with the might of all its vast arsenal if the West pursued what he called its “nuclear blackmail” over the conflict there.

“The reports about partial mobilisation have been confirmed, Russia will attempt to destroy Ukraine and grab some of its territory. We can't allow that,” Mr Morawiecki said.