A video circulating online purporting to show long lines at the Polish-German border of Poles escaping to Germany was not filmed at the border at all. There are no border controls between Poland and Germany, as both countries are part of the Schengen zone. In fact the video showing a long car queue was filmed on the road leading to the Yahodin-Dorohusk border crossing on the Polish-Ukrainian border.
Some social media users, as well as Russian propagandist Telegram channels, are sharing a video, allegedly showing a long queue on the border between Poland and Germany. According to these posts, panicking Poles are fleeing the country because the government plans to hold military training exercises in January 2023, involving up to 200,000 citizens.
Telegram channels write that this video from the Polish-German border was allegedly sent to them by a subscriber. The possibility of such a long queue on the Polish-German border is highly unlikely, since there are no border controls between Poland and Germany because both countries belong to the Schengen zone.
Some users pointed out that the video is not filmed at the Polish-German border at all, but on the way to the border crossing point Yahodin-Dorogusk on the Polish-Ukrainian border.
StopFake journalists managed to geolocate the place the video was filmed. It is the E373 road in Poland, which passes through the Yahodin-Dorogusk border crossing (51.174529, 23.784520). By using Google Street View’s panoramic mode you can compare this section of the road with the view in the video. Although Google Street View shows photos of this route from July 2012, the same high green fence, road sign and billboard are seen in the pictures.
One can see the line of cars moving towards the Polish border crossing point Yahodin-Dorogusk, while the car of the person filming the video, is moving towards Kholm, in the opposite direction from the Polish-Ukrainian border.
In early December, Polish media reported that the government plans to hold military training in 2023, to which up to 200,000 people may be summoned – Territorial Defense Service, volunteers and active reservists. However, there is no data indicating that Poles are planning to evade service.
Previously, StopFake refuted false information that Poland was allegedly preparing to attack Russia.
