False information is circulating in the Polish segment of social media claiming that the Polish government has supposedly “secretly” decided to abolish border checks for trains arriving from Ukraine, thereby making it easier for Ukrainian citizens to enter the country. These claims are misleading.

The changes in question concern only the organization of border and customs procedures on the Ukrainian side of the border. On the Polish side, all border control procedures remain completely unchanged. The manipulation was analyzed by fact-checkers from Demagog.

In posts that gained significant traction, particularly through content shared by Krzysztof Woźniak, it was claimed that the Polish government was “further simplifying” entry procedures for Ukrainians while concealing this information from its own citizens. As supposed evidence, the posts cited a news report stating that “Ukrainians will enter Poland more quickly”, referring to a statement by the Ukrainian prime minister. The author of the false claim linked this alleged simplification to concerns about rising crime among Ukrainians in Poland.

The popular post received more than 2,500 reactions and around 1,000 shares. Among the hundreds of comments, negative remarks about the Polish authorities predominated, including statements such as: “Why haven’t Poles taken to the streets and overthrown the Law and Justice party yet?”, “Oh God, I’m going crazy. Instead of closing the border, they’re making it even easier to cross. A scandal. This anti-Polish government is destroying our country”, “Keep voting for the smiling ones”, and “The government should resign”.

No changes on the Polish side

On 26 November, Yuliia Svyrydenko published a message on Telegram stating that border and customs controls on the Kyiv-Przemyśl and Kyiv-Chełm railway routes would be conducted while the train was in motion rather than during stops near the border. At the end of the post, she thanked Ukraine’s Ministry of Development, Ukrzaliznytsia, and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine for their coordination. Notably, no Polish institutions were mentioned.

To clarify the situation, fact-checkers from Demagog contacted Poland’s Ministry of the Interior and Administration of Poland and the Polish Border Guard to ask whether the announced changes also applied to the Polish side. Both institutions confirmed that no changes had been introduced to the procedures for checking passengers arriving by train from Ukraine.

In a comment provided to Demagog on 8 December 2025, the Department of Social Communication of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration stated:

“All persons entering our territory by train from Ukraine undergo full border and customs control. Their identities are verified on the basis of travel documents and checked against relevant databases. The National Revenue Administration (KAS) also carries out its own customs procedures”.

The Polish Border Guard likewise confirmed that the Polish side has not abandoned the inspections conducted when trains stop at the border.

Conclusion

The claim that Poland is supposedly “secretly” making it easier for Ukrainians to enter the country by abolishing railway border controls is false. The changes concern only the internal organization of control procedures on the Ukrainian side. No changes have been introduced to Poland’s border-crossing rules, and passengers continue to undergo full border and customs checks during stops on Polish territory.