A soldier on duty in front of the presidential palace in the early hours on April 11, 2010 in Warsaw | Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images Polish army offers self-defense course to women Critics said it was not up to the army to teach civilians combat techniques.

The Polish defense ministry will start offering women free self-defense classes, thought to be taught by army instructors.

Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz said the aim of the classes was to teach women "basic fighting techniques and improve overall physical fitness,” the BBC reported on Thursday.

The course, open to women aged 18 years and above, will be given at 30 military facilities across the country. It will run from November 19 until June next year.

Participants must have their own medical insurance and a letter in which trainees exonerate the ministry of responsibility for potential injuries.

Critics said it was not up to the army to teach civilians combat techniques and claimed the lessons would have a “propaganda dimension.”