FACT CHECK: No, BBC News Did Not Publish This Video Claiming Poland Is Preparing To Invade Ukraine

Trevor SchakohlMay 9, 2022

A video shared on Twitter purportedly shows a BBC News report about the Polish military preparing for an invasion of Ukraine.

A méditer … l’idée polonaise (?) de venir à l’aide de l’Ukraine pour en défendre la moitié nord ouest, avec son armée d’active sans étiquette Otan,
Mais avec soutien des USA

Évidement les ukrainiens ne doivent pas imaginer leur démembrement à venir et la convoitise des polonais pic.twitter.com/RtJCrhYZXf

— Bertrand SCHOLLER (@55Bellechasse) May 5, 2022

Verdict: False

There is no record of BBC News publishing such a video. A BBC News spokesperson said the report did not originate with the news outlet.

Fact Check:

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki recently accused Russia of committing “genocide” in Ukraine and labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal,” according to Euronews. Now, an alleged report from BBC News claims the Polish military is preparing to send troops to Ukraine to fight the Russians.

A video shared on Twitter shows what appears to be a report from the new outlet that claims the “Polish commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces ordered the army to prepare for an invasion of Ukraine.” It goes on to report that this invasion was being done under the “pretext” of protecting the Ukrainians from Russia. The BBC News logo is displayed prominently throughout the video.

BBC News did not, however, produce the video or report that Poland was set to invade Ukraine. Neither the exact video nor its text can be found on the BBC News website or on any social media posts from the outlet. Likewise, there are no credible news reports suggesting Poland is preparing to invade Ukraine.

“This is not a genuine BBC news report, it is a fake,” said BBC World Service Head of Communications Philly Spurr in an email to Check Your Fact.

Poland did raise the combat readiness level of its army in late February, according to Polish-based news outlet Onet. (RELATED: Did NATO Attack Russian Soldiers Heading Toward The Ukrainian Border?)

This is not the first time a fake BBC video report regarding the Ukrainian conflict has appeared on social media. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim that suggested the outlet reported that Ukraine was behind the Kramatorsk train station attack in April 2022.