In Poland, Over 6,500 Women Have Completed a Military Self-Defense Course

In Poland, the final sessions of self-defense training for women were concluded on August 20th as part of the project "Women's Self-Defense - Trust the Army," in which more than 6,500 women participated. This was announced on Twitter by the country's Minister of Defense, Mariusz Blaszczak.

"Over 6,500 women have undergone free training as part of the project 'Women's Self-Defense - Trust the Army.' Today marked the last sessions of this course, during which volunteers, under the watchful eye of military instructors, learned the basics of self-defense techniques. The women also had the opportunity to refresh their practical knowledge of providing first aid," noted the Polish Minister of Defense.

The training took place from May 27th in 16 cities across the country. During these sessions, military instructors taught women essential safety rules for daily life, ways to identify and avoid threats, and demonstrated hand-to-hand combat techniques useful in dangerous situations.

As highlighted by the Polish Ministry of Defense prior to the start of the courses, "this is an opportunity for all interested women to learn basic skills for handling situations that pose threats to their lives or health, especially those resulting from physical violence, under the guidance of experienced instructors."

Participants also had the chance to learn about principles of a healthy lifestyle. The project aimed to promote women's protection in crisis situations and foster self-confidence. Upon completion of the training, each participant received a commemorative certificate. Additionally, during the course, Polish military personnel conducted a recruitment campaign to encourage women to join the Polish Armed Forces and discussed the nuances of military service.

Recall that recently, a large-scale military parade took place in Warsaw, marking the largest such event in the country since the end of the Cold War and was commemorating the Polish Armed Forces Day.

Given Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, strengthening the armed forces has become a top priority for the Polish government. The country's leadership has announced plans to double the size of the military to 300,000 servicemembers and allocate approximately 4% of the current GDP for defense purposes.

Earlier, Poland announced its intention to deploy additional several thousand military personnel near the border with Belarus, which will raise the total number to around 10,000.