‘A dark day for Europe’: How UK newspapers reported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Several of Friday’s papers compared Mr Putin’s behaviour to that of Hitler in the Second World War

President Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine dominated the headlines (The Independent)

One day on from Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch an invasion and send Russian forces into Ukraine, we look at how the UK papers reacted to the news.

(The Guardian)

The Guardian went for the headline “Putin invades” on their front page, is dominated by news of the Russian attack on Ukraine. It says hundreds of people in Ukraine are dead or injured and talks of sanctions being put on Russia by the west. Central to the page is a photo of a woman injured in an airstrike, who has become the face of the war for several UK front pages.

(Daily Telegraph)

The Daily Telegraph’s headline warns of a “new cold war as Putin strikes.” The paper says that Ukraine remained defiant despite Russian troops capturing a strategic military airfield just outside the capital Kyiv.

(i newspaper)

The i newspaper went with the headline “Ukraine’s agony,” accompanied by a photo of a woman clasping her hands, as if in prayer. The paper says that hundreds have been injured from the attack and that hundreds of thousands are trying to flee to safety.

(The Independent)

Here at The Independent, the headline “The bloodshed begins” was used, with the widely-used photograph of a bandaged woman, who was injured yesterday during the invasion. Diplomatic correspondent Kim Sengupta also features, writing in from Kyiv.

(Financial Times)

The Financial Times focused on sanctions from the west being brought on Russia. The paper used an image of fire and smoke rising from the site of a missile strike in Kyiv. The paper also quoted US president Joe Biden, warning that Mr Putin wants to re-establish the former Soviet Union, which was broken up over 30 years ago.

(Metro)

The Metro’s headline is “War in Europe”. The paper also quotes Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, branding Mr Putin was a “21st century Hitler.”

(The Mirror)

“Her blood... his hands” is the headline used by the Daily Mirror. It is accompanied by images of the bandaged airstrike victim and the “power-crazed” Russian president Vladimir Putin.

(Daily Mail)

The Daily Mail ran with the headline “Putin to seize capital in days.” It also says that Ukraine’s president warned of a “new Iron Curtain” descending on Europe.

(Daily Express)

The Daily Express quoted UK prime minister Boris Johnson in its headline, writing that Mr Putin is trying to “redraw the map of Europe in blood.”

(The Star)

The Daily Star front page took references to the Second World War one step further and painted a Hitler moustache and dark hair onto an image of Vladimir Putin. “Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Putin?” the paper’s headline reads.