The British daily said in a Saturday article that preparations span the armed forces—spending heavily on weapons—and the public, where interest in survival skills is rising following the night-time incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace on Sept. 9–10.
“We can only assume that Russia is testing us,” said Łukasz Piątek, an F-16 multirole pilot based in Dęblin. He called shooting down drones over Poland “a delicate matter,” requiring avoidance of harm to people and property and consideration of material damage.
Citing historic ties between Warsaw and Moscow, he added that Russia “will always be a threat” to Poland, which is expanding its defense capabilities.
Military analyst Maksymilian Dura told the paper the airspace incident fits familiar patterns of Russian interference, including intercepting other countries’ GPS signals, conducting cyberattacks and striking undersea infrastructure.
“They have been allowed to do this with impunity,” he said. “They do not expect any consequences.”
Poland is among Europe’s biggest defense spenders, at just under 5% of GDP, and fields an army of 210,000 troops—one of the largest among NATO’s European members, the report said.
“You won’t realize there is a war until it knocks on your door,” said Marcin Kubica, chief operating officer of WB Group, a Polish defense manufacturer. The Times noted the company’s 12-kg FlyEye unmanned aircraft, able to travel more than 50 km and support artillery targeting.
Kubica said the drone is “so effective at the front that Ukrainian soldiers sing songs about it,” adding that most of the firm’s drones are shipped to Ukraine.
The paper also profiled Poles honing survival techniques for potential crises. Piotr Czuryłło, a survival expert, said he received a surge of calls from men and women of various ages seeking to join his seminars after the drone incident.
His workshops cover topics such as identifying edible frogs, catching fish and building simple shelters.
“Of course we all fear war,” Czuryłło said. “We think the next war will be more brutal than ever. But we are ready.”
(jh)
Source: PAP