MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. The Polish Armed Forces will have about 220,000 soldiers and officers in its ranks by the end of 2024, with planned increases every year, Minister of National Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on the Polsat TV channel.

"The number of soldiers of the Polish Army may reach about 220,000 by the end of this year," the TV channel's website quoted the minister as saying. The defense minister noted that the Polish army has "huge room for increasing [the army's size] through active reserves."

According to the Polish Defense Ministry's figures for October 2023, the number of soldiers in the Polish army is currently about 187,000 soldiers and officers. Former minister Mariusz Blaszczak believes it is necessary to increase the size of the Polish army to 300,000 soldiers.