Polish defence minister warns of growing Russian threat, calls for national unity on wartime remembrance day

Commemoration and warning on the same platform

On 12 July, Poland observed the Day of Struggle and Martyrdom of the Polish Countryside, honouring rural communities that resisted during the Second World War. At the Monument to Soldiers of the Peasant Battalions and the Rural Women's Union in Warsaw, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz delivered a speech that blended memory with a stark assessment of present dangers. He said the countryside had a history, pride and tradition that should not be dismissed as backward but should energise future generations.

There will be no war if we are strong and united on fundamental matters.

The minister then turned directly to the security environment, stating that Russia is escalating and that Poland faces a growing threat. He called for unity capable of resisting hybrid warfare and eastern propaganda, rejecting the idea of a uniform, uncritical narrative while insisting on solidarity when the moment demands it.

Record defence spending and a 220,000-strong army

Kosiniak-Kamysz cited the largest ever defence budget, the SAFE programme, and the ongoing modernisation of the Polish armed forces as the concrete expression of Warsaw's determination. He stressed that Poland's weight in NATO, transatlantic ties, and the European Union's first-ever investment in armaments at Poland's request all contribute to deterrence. The minister noted that a 220,000-strong army is being organised, with lessons drawn directly from the war in Ukraine and with a new Baltic security architecture under construction.

That is why Poland's strength in NATO, transatlantic relations, and the European Union investing in armaments for the first time in history at Poland's request. Hence the 220,000-strong army and its organisation.

He also underscored the importance of aid to Ukraine and of applying the battlefield experience gained there to Polish defence planning.

Historical parallel and the price of division

Kosiniak-Kamysz recalled the pre-1939 period, when Polish society was split by manipulation, falsehood and lies precisely to prevent a unified response to the looming threat. He warned that history does not repeat itself but rhymes, and that the present generation must ensure it does not rhyme again at a moment when it is too late. The speech wove together the sacrifice of the Peasant Battalions, the Rural Women's Union and the Green Cross with today's call for national cohesion.

Unity without naivety

The defence minister drew a line between the shallow, uncritical agreement of some and the deeper unity needed when hybrid attacks and disinformation campaigns strike. He argued that the same patterns of division that weakened the pre-war republic are visible today, amplified by modern tools. His appeal was therefore not for uniformity of opinion but for a shared reflex to close ranks in the face of an external adversary.

What comes next

The address did not announce new measures but reinforced the government's policy course: rapid military expansion, deeper integration with allies, and a continued focus on the eastern flank. With the war in Ukraine still raging and tensions across the Baltic high, Kosiniak-Kamysz made clear that Poland intends to be both a frontline state and a pillar of collective security, counting on the largest defence budget in its history to back that posture.