Majority of Poles unwilling to volunteer for military service in event of war: Survey

Poll, which follows Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace, found 57% of respondents would not sign up or back army

GENEVA

A majority of Poles say they would not be willing to volunteer for military service or actively support the armed forces if war broke out, according to a recent survey.

The poll published on Friday, carried out by the research institute Pollster for the Super Express newspaper, found that 57% of respondents would not sign up or back the army in the event of conflict.

Just over a quarter, 26%, said they would volunteer or otherwise actively support the war effort, while 17% declined to answer.

The poll was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday among a representative sample of 1,020 adults across Poland. It comes as Poland's security debate intensifies after a mass incursion of Russian drones into its airspace earlier this week.

Warsaw said on Wednesday that its airspace was violated by drones amid overnight airstrikes between Russia and Ukraine, calling the incursion an “act of aggression.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the drones were Russian, with authorities initially recording 19 airspace violations. Polish and allied NATO forces shot down some of the drones, marking the first such defensive action of this kind.

Russia’s Defense Ministry denied any intention to strike targets on Polish territory and expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with Warsaw about the incident.