On July 15, 2025, a video with the title “Poland’s Defense Minister approved shooting at migrants!” was posted on the YouTube channel of the state TV channel CTVBY.
Text of this video:
Poland’s Defense Minister publicly supported the brutal actions of a military officer who used rubber bullets against a group of illegal migrants from Afghanistan. I remind you, the incident occurred on July 10 on Poland’s eastern border. The military officer also struck one of the migrants with the butt of his rifle. During the scuffle, the soldier received a light wound, while the refugee sustained head injuries. The Afghan was detained and faces up to 10 years in prison. In connection with the incident, the Polish prosecutor’s office began an investigation to determine whether the military officer exceeded his authority.
During the preparation of this fact-checking publication, a publication was found on the official website of the state news agency BELTA with the title: Head of Poland’s Ministry of Defense supported military officer who shot rubber bullets at migrants at the border, but the publication itself said the following:
On July 10, a Polish military officer fired rubber bullets at a group of migrants from Afghanistan, and also beat one of them with the butt of his rifle. During the ensuing fight, the soldier received a light wound and was taken to the hospital. The Afghan who wounded him was detained and placed in a closed center for foreigners, facing up to 10 years in prison.
The full video contains completely different footage of illegal migrants breaking through into the territory of the Republic of Poland from the territory of the Republic of Belarus:
Our verdict based on the conducted analyses:
Verdict: Manipulated
Reasons:
- A document, photo or video was edited to distort its meaning: something was artificially added or omitted – for example, parts of an image or video were cut out, text was replaced, digital effects were added, incorrect audio accompaniment or incorrect subtitles were inserted.
- A photograph or video was created using artificial intelligence (AI).
- A webpage or screenshot was faked to imitate a legitimate source or false sender identity.
- Graphics are manipulative, for example, because they present data distorted by optical effects.
Let’s conduct analysis for FIMI/DIMI signs and current fact-checking.
General presentation
| Source | Headline/key formulation | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube (Belarus state TV) | “Poland’s Defense Minister approved shooting at migrants!” | Sensationalism, shock |
| BELTA | “Head of Poland’s Ministry of Defense supported military officer who shot… at migrants” | Repetition of focus on violence |
Semantic construction:
The Minister not only recognized the actions as lawful, but allegedly supported specifically “shooting at migrants” → shift of focus from evaluating a specific case to claiming general approval of violence.
What the Minister actually said (according to RMF24)
“Soldiers guarding the border risk their lives daily… grateful to the soldier who did everything to stop the migrants”
→ This refers to gratitude in a specific situation, not political approval of using weapons against migrants as a principle.
The Minister did NOT say:
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that he approves of shooting in general;
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that he advocates for violent solutions to the migration issue;
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that he supports the actions before the investigation is completed.
Factual comparison
| Claim from BELTA/video | Verification by Polish sources | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Minister approved “shooting at migrants” | Does not correspond | Minister thanked a specific soldier, did not authorize shooting as policy |
| Military officer used rubber bullets and rifle butt | Confirmed | According to RMF24 and TVP data |
| Migrant received head injuries | Confirmed | Afghan taken to hospital |
| Soldier received injury | Confirmed | Indicated in TVP and RMF24 |
| Investigation initiated | Confirmed | Military prosecutor’s office checks soldier’s actions |
| Migrant faces 10 years | Partially confirmed | Charged with assault, sentence not finally determined |
FIMI/DIMI matrix
| Communication technique | Category | Application in video/BELTA |
|---|---|---|
| Emotional headline (shooting, approved) | FIMI | Attracts attention, causes indignation |
| Absence of legal context | DIMI | Ignores the fact of prosecutor’s office investigation |
| Substitution of gratitude meaning with sanction | FIMI | “Supported soldier” → “approved shooting” |
| Personalization of guilt | DIMI | Minister presented as political radical |
| Inversion of cause-and-effect relationship | FIMI | Migrant struck first → presented as soldier’s aggression |
The publication on the BELTA website and the video on the state channel CTV are coordinated carriers of one narrative, possessing the following characteristics:
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Reliable facts wrapped in emotionally charged statements;
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There is a shift in meaning from a specific incident to a generalizing condemnation of Poland’s policy;
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A rhetorical substitution is used: “supported the soldier” becomes “approved shooting at migrants”. This is a characteristic example of information interference (FIMI) with elements of internal legitimization propaganda (DIMI). Such narratives undermine trust in Western institutions, present Poland as an aggressive state, and the EU as a cruel bloc.
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