Fact-checking agency ‘Fact Hunter’ has uncovered significant revelations regarding a video widely circulated on social media under the misleading headline, “Poland violently dismantles China-Europe railway.” This false propaganda has led to widespread misunderstanding and concern among the public.
How the False Claim Spread
On September 21, 2025, an X (formerly Twitter) user posted a screenshot showing a yellow excavator removing railway tracks, captioned, “Poland has begun to violently dismantle the China-Europe railway.” This post garnered nearly a million views within a day, attracting considerable attention.
What Fact-Checking Revealed
1. Original Source of the Video:
The video was initially posted by a user named @自由旗帜 on Douyin (Chinese TikTok). This account frequently publishes international political commentary and is known for exaggerating news footage with sensitive Chinese subtitles. The original video has since been removed.
2. Visual Analysis:
The excavator in the footage was identified by its “Eberhard” logo. Eberhard Bau AG is a Swiss company specializing in railway construction and maintenance. Their official website states that the company has no operations or affiliates in Poland.
Further analysis of the video frames also revealed a yellow and black circular logo belonging to Marti Tunnel AG, another Swiss company with no projects in Poland.
3. The Actual Event (Original Video):
The footage was revealed to be part of a photograph originally posted on LinkedIn by @Parastoo Azad in 2024. It depicts a routine railway maintenance task involving track removal carried out by Eberhard, and the original clip had no headlines or subtitles. The claim “Poland violently dismantles China-Europe railway” was added to the video later.
True Reason for Poland’s Border Closure
The false propaganda stemmed from Poland’s decision to close its road and rail borders with Belarus on September 11, 2025.
- The Polish Prime Minister’s Office announced on September 9 that the borders would be closed on the night of September 11 for national security reasons, due to the impending start of the Russia-Belarusian “Zapad-2025” military exercises on September 12.
- The Polish Ministry of Infrastructure reiterated on September 16 that these closures were solely a public safety measure, with no mention of railway dismantling.
- Polish Prime Minister Tusk announced on September 23 that the border would reopen on September 25.
The China-Europe railway, a crucial component of the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, uses the Małaszewicze hub in Poland as a major node. Fact Hunter concludes that the border closure was merely a temporary security measure and not an act of railway dismantling.
The fact-checking agency urges the public to verify information with official sources and reliable publications before sharing false content.
