Newspaper headlines: 'Ukraine's year of blood' and 'let them eat turnips'

Rishi Sunak and Volodymyr ZelenskyGetty Images

Rishi Sunak hosted Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky during his trip to London earlier this month

By BBC News
Staff

Many of Friday's papers are marking the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - or as the Times puts it, "Ukraine's Year of Blood". It reports that Rishi Sunak will renew Britain's offer to send Typhoon jets to Poland or any other eastern European country that will hand over their Mig-29 combat aircraft to Kyiv. The paper says the prime minister is expected to urge Nato to give Ukraine a "decisive advantage over Russia on the battlefield" to shift the mindset of President Putin.

The Guardian focuses on the devastation in the city of Mariupol which it calls "perhaps the bloodiest and most shocking chapter of Russia's brutal war". It tells how - after crushing resistance last May - Russian forces have been erasing evidence of recent atrocities and destroying the Ukrainian history in the city. The continued defiance of Ukraine is highlighted by Metro which has the headline "Heroes never give in".

The war has led to 100,000 civilian deaths, according to the Independent. It attributes the figure - which is ten times the official total - to Ukraine's top war crimes prosecutor. He tells the website the bodies will have to be found and identified after the country is liberated.

The Daily Telegraph's main news is an article by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in which he argues that Russia must not be crushed in any future peace deal. Justin Welby writes that Russia "cannot be allowed to repeat its aggression" but must not be humiliated in the way that Germany was after the First World War. He says Ukraine must not be pressured into an unjust peace either. The Telegraph also publishes a poll which suggests 65% of people in the UK believe Britain should maintain or increase its support for Ukraine.

Both the Daily Mail and the Daily Express lead with comments by the Queen Consort, urging authors to resist curbs on their freedom of expression and imagination. The Mail describes Camilla as "wading into the row about the 'woke' re-writing of Roald Dahl's classics". The Express quotes a source close to Camilla as saying she was "dismayed" that the publishers, Puffin, had made hundreds of changes to the original text of the much-loved children's books.

A claim that Rishi Sunak is softening his position towards striking NHS workers makes the i's front page. It reports that ministers plan to invite in three other unions - Unite, GMB and Unison - for pay talks after making an offer to the Royal College of Nursing. The paper suggests the "government mood music" on ambulance workers and health staff is now changing, with an olive branch set to be offered next week.

The Sun claims that Vernon Kay will replace Ken Bruce in the mid-morning slot on BBC Radio 2. Ken Bruce revealed last month that he would be leaving the BBC. The corporation is yet to confirm who will replace him.

And the Daily Mirror and the Daily Star mock yesterday's advice from the government minister Therese Coffey on how to get round fruit and veg shortages. "Let them eat Turnips" is the headline in both papers. The Mirror calls her advice "bizarre". The Star describes the vegetable as a "government-approved tasty treat" - and its front page offers a "cut-out-and-keep turnip for every peasant".