Video shows Polish tanks after military parade, not 'deployed for war with Russia'

A video of tanks transported from a military parade in the Polish capital Warsaw has surfaced in social media posts that misleadingly claimed it showed the armoured vehicles deployed to help Ukraine in its war with Russia. While Poland has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion, the clip shows tanks on Warsaw's Wislostrada highway, where the country holds its annual Armed Forces Day parade.

"Latest news: The Polish president gave a speech, preparing for war with Russia. A large number of Polish tanks are being loaded onto trucks and transported to the border," read a simplified Chinese X post that shared the video on August 18, 2024.

"If Poland joins the war, Russia's defeat will be accelerated."

The footage shows rows of tanks being loaded onto trailers, as onlookers watch from a bridge and the side of the road.

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Screenshot of the misleading X post taken on September 9, 2024

Poland -- which shares a border with both Ukraine and Russia -- has sharply accelerated the modernisation of its armed forces after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 (archived link).

But the video, which AFP found shared across X, Facebook, YouTube and Douyin, does not show Poland sending troops "to the border" in preparation for war.

While Warsaw has been a staunch ally of Ukraine, providing Kyiv with billion of euros of military aid and pledging tanks and fighter jets, Polish troops have not been directly involved in the war, as of September 12, 2024.

Military parade

AFP geolocated the road in the video to a section of the Wisłostrada highway in Warsaw.

Below is a comparison of the video (left) and Google Maps Street View images from the same location (right), with the corresponding features highlighted:

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Comparison of the video (left) and Google Maps Street View images from the same location (right), with the corresponding features highlighted

The misleading posts emerged shortly after Poland's annual Armed Forces Day on August 15, which commemorates its victory over the Soviet Union in 1920 (archived link).

According to Poland's public broadcaster TVP World, the main event in Warsaw was a "grand military parade along the Wisłostrada expressway" (archived link). 

The report said the parade would feature more than 2,000 soldiers, including troops from allied forces such as the United States and Britain, and showcase military aircraft and vehicles including tanks.

Footage of the parade on the highway is available on AFP's platforms for professionals, credited to partner agency EditorialFootage (archived link).

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Footage of the parade on AFP's platforms for professionals, credited to partner agency EditorialFootage

The misleadingly shared video shows tanks moving south away from the parade venue, indicating it was filmed after the day's events.

President's speech

While Polish President Andrzej Duda referred to the Russia-Ukraine war in his Armed Forces Day speech, he did not say the country was "preparing for war with Russia", as social media posts claimed.

According to a transcript of his address on the president's website, he said Poland should focus on making sure "no one ever dares to invade us".

He said building up the Polish army was "the most important security work and task facing those in power today".

Chinese state media outlet The Paper also fact-checked the misleading claim (archived link).

AFP has debunked more misinformation around the war in Ukraine here.