Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Wednesday’s front pages report on the ongoing Ukraine crisis. Some newspapers lead on Volodymyr Zelensky’s impassioned address to the UN Security Council days after the bodies of hundreds of murdered civilians were found in the Ukrainian town of Bucha on the withdrawal of Russian troops.
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Wednesday’s tabloid front pages lead with the Ukraine war. The front pages of the Daily Express and the Daily Mirror show a two year-old Ukrainian girl, whose name, date of birth and contact details have been written on her back. The Mirror says it was the idea of the child’s mother, in case they were separated as Russian forces closed in on Kyiv.
The Daily Mail’s front splash features a six-year-old Ukrainian boy standing at his mother’s graveside. The paper leads on a plea by Boris Johnson to the Russian people, in which he describes the alleged atrocities as a stain on Russia’s honour.
Roman Abramovich asking for cash
For the Sun, the paper talks about Roman Abramovich. The paper claims he has been asking friends to loan him money to help pay for his staff, because of the impact of sanctions. The Sun says so far, no one has given him any money. The paper’s headline reads: “Red Rom Kicked in Roubles”.
Leading on the same story, the Times says he’s gone cap in hand to his USA friends – including Hollywood executives and Wall Street financiers.
The Times highlights efforts by the UK, the US and Australia to develop hypersonic missiles after Russia reportedly used the technology in combat for the first time in Ukraine. The paper says the security pact between the nations is being expanded so it includes cooperation on the weapons, which travel at more than five times the speed of sound.
Zelensky’s plea to UN
The Guardian and the Daily Telegraph lead on President Zelensky’s plea to the UN Security Council to hold Russia accountable for alleged war crimes.
The Guardian describes footage from the front line that was shown to the council following Zelensky’s address. The paper reports that the small details stung: red nail varnish on limp fingers, and dropped keys next to a blackened hand.
“You been on the vodka?” is the question posed by the Metro in response to Russia’s repeated denial of war crimes in Ukraine. Moscow’s UN ambassador Vadily Nebenzya is said by the paper to have left delegates “aghast” as he insisted Russian troops were not targeting civilians and repeated the baseless Kremlin claim that Russia had only invaded to ‘bring peace’ to Ukraine and root out Nazis in its government.