What the papers say – February 12

Sombre coverage of potential military action in Eastern Europe leads many of the papers.

12 February 2022

The front pages are dominated by fears a Russian invasion of Ukraine is just days away, with both Boris Johnson and Joe Biden warning their respective citizens to get out while there are still commercial flights operating.

The Guardian and The Times carry the Foreign Office’s warning to Britons in Ukraine to leave as Moscow prepares to invade.

“Invasion fears as Britons ordered to leave Ukraine” reports The Independent, while the Daily Express splashes with an almost identical headline.

The Daily Telegraph also runs with the looming threat from Russia, writing the invasion could happen “any day now”.

Thousands of Britons have been told to “get out now”, the Daily Mail declares in its splash, citing Mr Johnson’s fears for the “security of Europe”.

“Get out” says the Daily Mirror, refencing the Foreign Office’s warning to Brits in Ukraine to leave “via commercial means while they remain available”.

FT Weekend similarly covers the threat to Ukraine on its front page, with the paper quoting both Mr Biden and his security adviser as saying an invasion could involve a “rapid assault” on Kyiv and was “likely to begin with aerial bombing… that could kill civilians without regard to their nationality”.

Meanwhile, i weekend reports senior Tories have publicly warned the Prime Minister against trying to remain in office if the police investigation into the partygate scandal finds he broke Covid rules.

Elsewhere, The Sun runs with the latest in the “Wagatha Christie” libel battle.

And the Daily Star splashes with a paper from a British think-tank which argues creating a “clear system of property rights in space could turbocharge scientific discovery and give all of humanity a greater stake in space exploration”.