Russia’s president Vladimir Putin is determined to reconstruct what he considers the be the glory of the former Soviet Union, and so he has tipped his hand in several ways. He has taken parts of the Crimea, and his claim that parts of Ukrain are rightly Russian territory of Russia due to large Russian populations within certain Ukrainian areas were excuses to annex parts of the country. He is also venturing into the Middle East, though truly his desire is for European territory and pathways to the Baltic and Black Seas and easy transport of Russian natural gas to world markets.
Poland is a major prize, but the Polish still remember the suffering and servitude under the former Soviet Union, and they are determined to not let that happen again. To that end they are relying on NATO and also preparing internally to reject Russian efforts to carve out pieces of their country, and to put in to place internal military and paramilitary groups that can fend off Russian aggression and “infiltration,” at least until NATO support can arrive to help.
Paramilitary groups are to be formed in Poland to enhance its military capabilities as part of the preparations for a possible ‘hybrid war’ with Russia, the Defense Ministry said.
“The territorial defense force is our response to the threat associated with hybrid warfare,” said Polish Defense Ministry official Grzegorz Kwasniak, who is responsible for the creation of the new paramilitary group.
The new force will comprise 35,000 civilian volunteers that will undergo military training. Each Polish province will then receive one brigade of the territorial defense force, consisting of volunteer battalions, with the biggest and most populous Mazovia province getting two brigades.
The eastern Polish provinces of Podlachia, Lublin and Podkarpachie will have priority in deployment of the paramilitary units as they are deemed to be most exposed to the perceived Russian aggression.
“Enrollment of the first members of the territorial defense force will start in September,” Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz said on Thursday at a conference of paramilitary organizations in the northern Polish town of Ostroda, AFP reports. He also said the group’s command structure and senior appointments had already been decided in April, as reported by the Polish PAP news agency.
The personnel of the newly formed paramilitary units will receive a monthly payment amounting to 500 zlotys (€125), according to dpa.
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This is propaganda if I ever heard it. He took Crimea because Nato broke it’s vows to keep buffer countries between them. Call it anti American if you want but I hold us to the same standard I hold any other country. If something is wrong it’s wrong regardless of who is doing it.
This could get ugly
Wars ,and roomers of war everywhere on earth now.
Yet hand cuffs the military from destroying the enemy. Funny how we had bombed ISIS for almost 2 years and after the France attack, they joined the fight and on day one they were destroying very high value targets. Those targets should have been taken out long ago by our boys. Hell, he won’t even acknowledge the enemy by its name, even after a severe massacre on OUR soil. They don’t give ribbons for how long you remain in a war theater. I fail at nothing in regard to your comment.
Let’s spend 1.5 trillion on defense.
Hope they aren’t gonna try a tank division. Russia already knows to shoot the 10 guys pushing it
Pawel Reszka
We are ready bro!
Polska Duma brothers.
Last time I checked it was Russia who invaded a neighboring country to annex territory that belonged to it..