A massive military parade was held in Warsaw on 15 August to mark Polish Armed Forces Day. The celebrations involved approximately 2,000 Polish and allied service members, along with around 300 pieces of modern military hardware.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine (Сергій Козачук) citing PAP, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
The main festivities took place along Wislostrada in Warsaw, while the naval part of the celebration was held in the city of Gdynia. Before the parade commenced, the President of Poland promoted 21 officers to general ranks, including the Commander of the Cyber Defence Forces Mariusz Chmielewski and the Commander of the 1st Warsaw Armoured Brigade Renart Skrzypczak.
Among the guests of honour on the viewing stands was Andrzej Poczobut, a Polish minority activist recently released from Belarusian imprisonment. Marching alongside Polish units were troops from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Croatia, and Romania, members of the French Foreign Legion, and soldiers from the joint Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian Brigade based in Lublin.
Advanced Weaponry and Air Show
The aerial display over the capital featured AW149 and Apache helicopters, F-16 fighters, and the state-of-the-art F-35 jets. Allied NATO crews joined their Polish counterparts, flying German Eurofighter Typhoon jets and A400M transport aircraft.
The ground exhibition showcased domestic and foreign defence technologies, including Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles, Rosomak armoured personnel carriers, Leopard 2PL tanks, American Abrams, and South Korean K2 tanks. Spectators also witnessed K9 and Krab artillery systems, HIMARS rocket launchers, Patriot and Pilica+ air defence systems, Poprad complexes, as well as Gladius, FlyEye, FT-5, Warmate, and Wizjer unmanned aerial systems.
Naval Parade and Historical Significance
The naval section of the parade in the Gulf of Gdansk brought together Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, the corvette Kaszub, minehunters, and landing ships. The maritime operations were supported from the air by Bryza aircraft, AW101 helicopters, and a Saab 340 AEW&C early warning aircraft.
Polish Armed Forces Day is celebrated annually to commemorate the Battle of Warsaw in 1920, when Polish forces stopped and defeated the advancing Bolshevik armies near the capital.
The nation continues to systematically bolster its defence capabilities. Prime Minister Donald Tusk previously noted that the government’s policies, driven by economic growth and large-scale acquisitions of modern weapons, are set to make the Polish land forces the largest in Europe.
Illustrative photo: Dutch Ministry of Defence / CC BY-SA 4.0
Read also: ZSU Congratulated Poland on Polish Armed Forces Day for August 15, 2026
