The woman who posted this video never claimed that the police on the border between Poland and Germany check exclusively Ukrainians. Control at the border between the two countries is linked to the influx of illegal migrants and the activities of smugglers who illegally transport people across the border.
Some netizens are sharing a video showing German border guards allegedly “catching Ukrainians who escaped from Ukraine” on the border between Poland and Germany. According to the publications, they are being returned back to Poland.
“But soon they may start packing them into wagons and sending them back to Ukraine,” some netizens speculate.
In the video you can see people in yellow jackets with the inscription “Polizei”. The video is shot from the window of a bus. The video itself has a caption: “There is a border between Poland and Germany. Passports are checked for the presence of an EU entry stamp.”
StopFake journalists found the original video. The video was first posted by TikTok user @dikie.dee on February 12. In the comments, the woman says that she filmed the video while crossing the border between Poland and Germany. However, neither in the post itself nor in the comments does the woman state that the police at the checkpoints allegedly check exclusively Ukrainians, moreover, “catch” them and return them back to Poland. Other commentators also report that when crossing the border between Poland and Germany, one can occasionally encounter a checkpoint where documents are actually checked. They write that the police check everyone crossing the border.
However, these measures have nothing to do with Ukraine. They are related to the influx of illegal migrants into the country and smuggling. Back in early October 2023, German Interior Minister Nancy Faser stated that Germany had notified the European Commission of the introduction of internal border controls between Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland to “strengthen the fight against smuggling and limit illegal migration.” Germany has also resumed stationary border checks on the border with Austria, which have been conducted periodically since 2015.
Deutsche Welle reports that although the EU’s Schengen area provides for open borders, the police reserve the right to check anyone crossing the border at random, not just at established checkpoints. Journalists also report that representatives of the states of Brandenburg and Saxony insist that the Ministry of the Interior introduce a stationary system of checkpoints on all eastern and southern borders of the country. This is due to an increase in the number of unauthorized entries into the country through Poland. According to the Ministry of the Interior, in 2023, the police detected 98,000 unauthorized entries into Germany, compared to 92,000 in 2022.
The Kremlin’s propaganda regularly spreads disinformation about the alleged “recruitment of Ukrainian refugees to be sent to the front.” Earlier, StopFake journalists explained that extradition for military service evasion is unlikely. There are currently no legal grounds for such measures. Moreover, according to the European Convention on Extradition, to which Ukraine and Germany are signatories, extradition for offenses under military law is excluded.
Earlier, StopFake refuted similar disinformation in the article Fake: Poland Kicks Out Refugees to Get Them Drafted into Ukrainian Forces.
