FACT CHECK: Video On X Shows Poland’s Military Parade, Not Tanks Deploying To Belarus
A video posted to X claims to show Polish tanks deploying to the border of Belarus.
🚨BREAKING: “Poland Deploys Troops to Belarus Border: Tensions Rise with Russia”
Poland, a key NATO member, has announced the deployment of troops to its border with Belarus, a staunch ally of Vladimir Putin. Russia has labeled this move a serious threat, warning of potential… pic.twitter.com/DreMf8ae3Q
— World War 3 (@Worldwar_3_) November 18, 2024
Verdict: False
The clip shows Polish troops participating in an annual parade in August, not deploying to Belarus.
Fact Check:
Social media users are claiming to show footage of Polish soldiers being deployed to the border of Belarus, a known ally of Russia. One user wrote, “BREAKING: ‘Poland Deploys Troops to Belarus Border: Tensions Rise with Russia.’ It also describes Poland as “a key NATO member” and Belarus as “a staunch ally of Vladimir Putin.”
However, the footage is three months old and there are no reliable reports that Poland is sending troops to the Belarusian border. The clip was first posted on TikTok on Aug. 15, with a similarly inaccurate caption.
On Aug. 15, Poland celebrated its annual Armed Forces Day national holiday, which is held to commemorate the country’s 1920 victory over the Soviet Union. There were over 2,500 Polish soldiers who attended the parade in military vehicles including tanks and jets, per the Associated Press.
The tanks featured in both videos match the military vehicles seen in posts on X from the same week in August. In these posts, the tanks can be seen preparing to be transported to the parade while onlookers snapped photos as well as being driven in the Warsaw parade.
One post from Aug. 15 describes Poland as “celebrating the 104th anniversary of defeating the Soviet Red Army in the Battle of Warsaw.” The caption added that the Polish army annually “brings out its tanks, howitzers and IFVs [infantry fighting vehicles] for a military parade in front of the Royal Castle in Warsaw.” (RELATED: FACT CHECK: Image Claims To Show Tel Aviv After Attack)
Poland is celebrating the 104th anniversary of defeating the Soviet Red Army in the Battle of Warsaw.
In connection with that, as every year, the army brings out its tanks, howitzers and IFVs for a military parade in front of the Royal Castle in Warsaw.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 15, 2024
The most recent report related to Poland mobilizing troops towards Belarus is from August 2023. Per a CNN article published at that time, Poland had announced plans to put 10,000 soldiers on the Belarusian border to protect against concerns that the Russian military Wagner Group would cause trouble in the region, from where they were stationed within Belarus.
