The head of the Ministry of National Defense: “Iron Division” will conduct the greatest exercises for years

The 18th Mechanized Division will conduct great divisional exercises this year, the largest exercises for years. She will be ready to show our abilities and skills-said Deputy Prime Minister, head of the Ministry of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, when asked about the reaction to the planned Russian-Belarusian exercises.

During the Monday press conference, the head of the Ministry of National Defense was asked about the planned reaction of Poland and allies to this year's largest exercises of the Russian and Belarusian armed forces of ZAPAD-2025, which will take place in September in Belarus. According to independent media from Russia and Belarus, as well as The President of Ukraine Wołodymyr Zelanski, participation in maneuvers can take up to 100-150 thousand. Russian and Belarusian soldiers.

The head of the Ministry of National Defense, when asked about these maneuvers and the Polish response to them on Monday, pointed to the so -called Divisional exercises, i.e. exercises involving most soldiers and units of a large tactical relationship, which is a division of up to several thousand soldiers.

“At the briefing with the management of the Polish Army, with the participation of, among others, the President of the Republic of Poland at the beginning of February, I ordered the first great divisional exercise in years.

The 18th Mechanized Division, called the “iron division”, was formally established in 2018. Her command is located in Siedlce, and in it consists of such units as the 1st Warsaw armored brigade in Warsaw Wesoła, 21st Podhale Rifle Brigade in Rzeszów or 19. Lublin Mechanized Brigade in Lublin.

Exercise under the code name “Iron Defender” has already announced the management of the Ministry of National Defense and the Armed Forces in recent months. The Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army, General Wiesław Kukuła, pointed out that one of the exercise tasks is to check to what extent to what units of the 18th Division – which includes most military units located east of Warsaw – we managed to implement modern equipment, such as M1 Abrams tanks.

Kosiniak-Kamysz was also asked on Monday about the night pickup of Polish fighters in response to another Russian fire of Ukraine; On Monday, the RSZ Operational Command reported on Monday morning about picking up the fighters and putting them in a state of readiness in Poland.

“If these Russian rockets hit so close to us, then the threat is – that's why we conduct full monitoring, we start anti -aircraft systems. It all takes place every time this situation occurs” – assured Kosiniak -Kamysz.

“The Russians do not give up. I agree with the statement of US President Donald Trump that +Putin probably went crazy +; we even have to say without + – we know it for a long time” – he said. “You can see that Russia will not stop” – he added, indicating, among others for the recent interception of a Russian fighter by the Polish aviation or a ship maneuvers from the Russian “shadow fleet” around the understood critical infrastructure in the Baltic. (PAP)

MML/ MOK/