When The Russia-Ukraine War Began: A Look Back At 24 Newspaper Front Pages

One year after the fateful decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin to launch a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, we take a look back at some of the front pages from the world's newspapers marking the the start of the war.

Bertrand Hauger

This article was updated February 24, 2023

"THIS IS WAR," read the front page ofGazeta Wyborcza. Alongside the terse, all-caps headline, the Polish daily featured a photo of Olena Kurilo, a teacher from Chuguev whose blood-covered face became one of the striking images of the beginning of the Ukraine invasion.

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A day after simultaneous attacks were launched from the south, east and north of the country, by land and by air, some press outlets chose to feature images of tanks, explosions, death and destruction that hit multiple cities across Ukraine, while others focused on the man behind the so-called "special military operation": Vladimir Putin.

With the battle arriving at the gates of the capital Kyiv, after the first 24 hours of combat, the most dangerous conflict in Europe since World War II had begun. French daily Libération may have best captured the world's reaction: "The Unthinkable."

While many Ukrainian dailies have seen interruptions in their print editions, the leading opposition newspaper in Russia, Novaya Gazeta, in an act of solidarity with its neighbors, published its latest paper in both Russian and Ukrainian. It's the first in our international collection of front pages below:

Novaya Gazeta

Kommersant

Kommersant

Izvestia

UNITED STATES - TIME

TIME

The Washington Post

The Washington Post

The New York Times

The New York Times

UK - The Sun

The Sun

The Financial Times

The Financial Times

The Economist

The Economist

GERMANY - Frankfurter Allgemeine

Frankfurter Allgemeine

Der Spiegel

Der Spiegel

POLAND - Gazeta Wyborcza

Gazeta Wyborcza

Fakt

Fakt

Dziennik Gazeta Prawna

Dziennik Gazeta Prawna

Rzeczpospolita

Rzeczpospolita

SLOVAKIA - Dennik

Dennik

FRANCE - Libération

BELGIUM - Le Soir

Le Soir

ITALY - Internazionale

SPAIN - El Mundo

El Mundo

ARGENTINA - La Nacion

La Nacion

BRAZIL - O Globo

O Globo

JAPAN - The Okinawa Times

The Okinawa Times

CHINA - Shanghai Daily

Shanghai Daily

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Two presidents of Taiwan, the current serving president, Tsai Ing-wen, and her predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou from the opposition Kuomintang party, are traveling in opposite directions these days. Taiwan must choose whom to follow.

Tsai Ing-wen, the President of Taiwan

Simon Liu / Office of the President

Pierre Haski

-Analysis-

PARIS — Tsai Ing-wen, the President of Taiwan, is traveling to the United States today. Not on an official trip because Taiwan is not a state recognized by Washington, but in transit, en route to Central America, a strategy that allows her to pass through New York and California.

Ma Ying-jeou, a former president of Taiwan, arrived yesterday in Shanghai: he is making a 12-day visit at the invitation of the Chinese authorities at a time of high tension between China and the United States, particularly over the fate of Taiwan.

It would be difficult to make these two trips more contrasting, as both have the merit of summarizing at a glance the decisive political battle that is coming. Presidential and legislative elections will be held in January 2024 in Taiwan, which could well determine Beijing's attitude towards the island that China claims by all means, including force.

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When The Russia-Ukraine War Began: A Look Back At 24 Newspaper Front Pages