‘New Cold War’, ‘Her blood…his hands’: How newspapers across globe reported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

British newspapers carried the image of Olena Kurilo, a 53-year-old teacher in eastern Ukraine, injured in the wake of the attacks. The Guardian carried a succinct headline, “Putin invades”.

Guardian front page, Friday 25 February 2022: Putin invades pic.twitter.com/byor4AqWCU

— The Guardian (@guardian) February 24, 2022

The UK’s dailies The Mirror and The Sun squarely held Putin responsible for the lives already lost and those still in danger. The Mirror wrote “Her blood…his hands”, calling the Russian chief “power-crazed.”

Tomorrow’s front page: Her blood… his hands #TomorrowsPapersToday https://t.co/UL7tQTkp9h pic.twitter.com/KsvnZ8HkkQ

— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) February 24, 2022

Similarly, The Sun wrote “Her blood on his hands”.

On tomorrow’s front page: pic.twitter.com/UcUucLehlv

— The Sun (@TheSun) February 24, 2022

The Daily Express wrote, “Redrawing map of Europe in blood”. “The world gasps in horror as the ‘bloodstained’ aggressor Putin launched a terrifying, full scale invasion,” the top of the front page read. Whereas The Daily Mail said, “Putin to seize capital in days”.

Friday’s @DailyMailUK #MailFrontPages pic.twitter.com/GaTRugxkFU

— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) February 24, 2022

The Daily Telegraph called Putin’s invasion the “new Cold War”, carrying an image of an injured Ukrainian soldier.

📰The front page of tomorrow’s Daily Telegraph:

‘New cold war as Putin strikes’#TomorrowsPapersToday

Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4Oomry pic.twitter.com/6YRooTgjTJ

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) February 24, 2022

Libération, a daily from France, founded by Jean-Paul Sartre, expressed its shock with the headline, “The unthinkable”. The full-page image showed an explosion in Ukraine.

À la une de Libération ce vendredi :

🔴 L’impensable https://t.co/nj2k4mQp7h #Ukraine #Russie pic.twitter.com/o6TXKeVNHM

— Libération (@libe) February 24, 2022

In the United States, The New York Times wrote, “Russia attacks as Putin warns world, Biden vows to hold him accountable”. The Washington Post said, “Russia launches broad military assault on Ukraine”, while the Wall Street Journal wrote, “Russia strikes Ukraine”.

The front page of The New York Times for Feb. 24, 2022.

Follow our updates on the Ukraine crisis.https://t.co/iby21x1qmI pic.twitter.com/VHhRx258hO

— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 24, 2022

Budapest’s daily Pesti Hirlap asserted, “Russians, go home!”, comparing the attack on Kyiv to Soviet military interventions against the revolution in Hungary against Stalin’s government in 1965 and in Prague in 1968.

“Russians, go home!” – New front page of a Budapest daily compares Putin’s attack on Ukraine to the Soviet military interventions crushing the 1956 Hungarian uprising and the 1968 Prague Spring. https://t.co/lQjYaemTMl

via @dszalay @media1hu pic.twitter.com/AEfj5kclS8

— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) February 24, 2022

German daily Die Tageszeitung expressed its solidarity by carrying the Ukraine flag on its front page.

Zeit für Solidarität mit der Ukraine: Heute in der taz und auf https://t.co/NMEfZuJRAd. https://t.co/IVcRnY9dJi pic.twitter.com/gAbqEIv5Kn

— taz (@tazgezwitscher) February 23, 2022

In Ukraine, weekly magazine NV called the invasion, “Putin’s madhouse”. “Historical images of political paranoia that led Putin to the loss of connection with reality,” the subheader reads.

Even in the darkest times, Ukrainians do not lose their sense of humor. Here, a cover of this week’s NV, a major Ukrainian news magazine. The headline reads ‘The Kremlin Madhouse’. Btw, they also have an English website with the latest from Ukraine https://t.co/4hURrkY83D pic.twitter.com/lcrOjZmHxU

— Olga Tokariuk (@olgatokariuk) February 23, 2022

Another newspaper Країна wrote, “Diplomacy around the occupied Ukranian territories ended.”