On the Trends program on the First News Channel, the presenter claimed that Polish businesses were rapidly heading toward bankruptcy and showed an empty shopping mall as an “Ukrainian’s testimony from Poland.” However, the author himself stated in the original video that he arrived at the mall at 9:00 p.m. This is the Renoma shopping center in Wrocław. Most of its stores are open until 9:00 p.m.
Context: During a speech on August 6, 2026, summarizing the first year of his presidency, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stated that Poland would continue to support Ukraine despite the historical differences between the two countries. “Because Poland helps wherever the Moskals are being defeated, even if it is not directly involved in the war,” said Nawrocki. The following day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted on her Telegram channel that Poland’s current borders are a result of Stalin’s decisions and the USSR.
On August 4, 2026, a segment about Poland was aired on the Trends program on the First News Channel*. During the broadcast, it was reported that the country had plunged into a crisis. Footage of an empty shopping mall was shown as evidence.
“There are businesses that are less successful and are rapidly heading toward bankruptcy. Here is a Ukrainian’s testimony from Poland,” the presenter said on air.
After that, viewers saw a young man commenting on the empty halls:
“Crisis in Poland. Imagine this: it’s 9 p.m., and there isn’t a single person in the shopping mall — just security guards and some Polish woman sitting over there. Everything is closed. Looks like this is just the beginning of the crisis. This is what it looks like. Things are very bleak. There’s not even anyone at the information desk.”
This is an authentic video that was posted on TikTok in July. However, the broadcast failed to mention an important detail. In the original version, the creator names the shopping center he is visiting: Renoma in Wrocław. Renoma’s stores close at 9:00 p.m. After that time, only select food service outlets and the gym will remain open. The author of the video says that he arrived at the mall at 9:00 p.m., after most stores had already closed.
Such an early closing time for a shopping mall may seem unusual to Belarusians, but it is a common operating schedule in Poland. Therefore, empty corridors at the end of the business day do not indicate that the shopping mall is failing or that the Polish economy is in crisis.
Polish statistics also do not indicate a decline in trade. Retail sales grew by 3.5% in the first half of 2026. Wholesale sales also increased over the year.
* The First News Channel is another name for News.by, a news outlet owned by Belteleradiocompany.
