As Russia’s war against Ukraine drags on, neighboring Poland is preparing some of its youngest citizens to defend their country against a potential attack by requiring them to take firearms training in schools. 

The German news outlet, Deutsche Welle, reports Poland is implementing compulsory firearms training for teenage students in its primary schools.  Students are given pistols and rifles and are taught how to assemble and operate them.

The mayor of Skarszewy, Jacek Pauli, told the outlet, “They’re not too young to shoot because the passion for shooting, like any sport, develops at an early age. That’s why the ministry has ordered firearms training for all pupils.”

In schools, students are not given live ammunition for their firearms training. Instead, they use lasers that light up green to indicate to the student that they hit their target.

The developer of the laser technology, Krzysztof Papadis, says he plans to introduce his product to all of Poland’s 18,000 schools.

Firearms training in Polish schools used to be voluntary. However, the government made it mandatory three months ago. 

Some adults interviewed by DW expressed sadness that the government felt it had made firearms training necessary. Meanwhile, another man suggested that training students how to use such weapons could “backfire” on Poland.

However, students who spoke to reporters shared a sense of excitement with the training. One student, Alan Jaron, said, “Shooting is fun. Holding a gun in your hands and shooting feels really cool.”

Another student, Marta Stolinska, said she believes the training is a “good idea” because “life is scary these days, so you have to be prepared for anything.”

Poland’s firearms training program is an outlier in Europe as it is the only country on the continent requiring its students to engage in such training. However, parents seem to be supportive of the decision, according to DW. 

Poland, which has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion nearly three years ago, is concerned about a potential attack on its territory from Russia.

In November, the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, announced his country had begun constructing an “Eastern Shield,” which is supposed to be an “impassable boundary” featuring surveillance, barriers, and anti-tank fortifications. 

The defensive line is being constructed along Poland’s border with Belarus, which was used as a staging ground for Russian troops invading Ukraine, as well as the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.