A clip that purports to show content published by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reporting that Poland is preparing to send troops to Ukraine is digitally altered and was not published by the outlet.
The clip opens with the BBC logo and a clip of a helicopter landing. The video mimics the formatting of the broadcaster’s social media clips, and incorporates the same font, caption placement and graphics. The clip suggests Poland is preparing to send forces into Ukraine, with visuals of military vehicles and personnel in the background.
Examples of the clip shared by users with captions in numerous languages, including Russian, English, and French, can be seen (here), (here), (here), (here).
No such video was published by the outlet, however, and the clip is an example of ‘imposter content’ - a video or image that impersonates a legitimate organization, such as a news outlet, to push forward a particular narrative or claim (here).
A spokesperson for the BBC told Reuters that no such video was published by the outlet, adding that “it’s best to check the BBC News website to verify stories.”
No such clip can be seen on the BBC news website (archive.ph/cUjo8). An archive of the BBC website is viewable (here).
No such video was viewable when conducting a Twitter advanced search of BBC social media channels (@BBCNews, @BBC World, @BBCBreaking) (bit.ly/38RnV1K).
The clip also features an alleged letter as “proof” of Polish forces preparing to “invade Ukraine.” The Twitter account for the Polish General Command of the Armed Forces called the image of the alleged letter “fake.”
“This is a false order of the Polish General Staff. The whole document is FAKE! We observe more and more such counterfeit military documents in Polish mass media. Please, DO NOT share this FAKE NEWS,” the tweet reads (here).
A spokesperson for the Polish Minister-Special Services Coordinator also tweeted about the alleged letter, saying a “fake order of a Polish general, created for propaganda purposes, was used in disinformation actions against Poland” (here).
Meanwhile, the latest BBC reporting on the war in Ukraine did not suggest that Polish troops are preparing to enter Ukraine (here).
Reuters has previously addressed imposter content in the form of a video that imitated a BBC social media clip suggesting Ukraine was behind the missile strike that killed more than 50 people at Kramatorsk railway station in April 2022 (here).
VERDICT
Digitally altered. The BBC did not release a video claiming that Poland was preparing to send troops to Ukraine. The clip was never published by the BBC and is an example of ‘imposter content’ - a video or image that impersonates a legitimate news source.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here .
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.