The Telegraph looking at the first week of March 2022

In the Daily Telegraph, you may find in-depth coverage of every crucial development in Ukraine. Boris Johnson has insisted that Britain will not fight Russian forces in the country, although the Prime Minister was given an emotional dressing down by a Ukrainian activist for not supporting a no-fly zone over the country. Ronald Oliphant, The Telegraph correspondent in Kharkiv, describes “signs of Russian desperation” emerging in Ukraine’s second largest city, while Colin Freeman takes us on a fascinating, immersive trip on board the train to Kyiv.

Sherelle Jacobs warns that “The West is sleepwalking into an even more devastating conflict with Russia”. Ambrose Evans-Pritchard makes a compelling case for why “It is time to drop an energy cluster bomb on the Kremlin”. As speculation grows over the Russian leader’s health, Nick Allen highlights “Five reasons ‘puffy-faced’ Putin could be seriously ill”. Katja Hoyer, meanwhile, argues that “The invasion of Ukraine has left Merkel’s legacy in tatters”.

The brilliant team of the newspaper will also clarify “How the West’s sanctions are hurting Russia”. Indeed, Tom Rees reports that Russia’s economy is descending “into chaos”.

As the economy crumbled and sky-high inflation decimated living standards, one enterprising Russian turned to moonlighting as a taxi driver to pay the bills.

The moonlighting cab driver lamenting the pain from Russia’s 1990s slump, and years of economic mismanagement, was Vladimir Putin. Today, the president is the one inflicting such economic pain on ordinary citizens.

The current scale of the economic suffering facing Russian households harks back to the dark days following the Soviet Union’s fall.

Putin’s hold on power is being shaken by a living standards plunge and an economy buckling under the weight of sanctions

Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, said

“we are cutting off funding for Putin’s war machine”,

calling the measures

“the largest package of sanctions in our history”.

The owner of British Gas has said that the energy firm will pull out of Russia “as a matter of urgency”, while Shell has abandoned the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. However, Ben Wright cautions that “Cryptocurrencies are Putin’s sanctions-busting superweapon”.

In financial news closer to home, first-time buyers could receive a £27,000 boost as the Bank of England relaxes mortgage rules. Anna Anna Tyzack explores “What having solar panels really means for your wallet”. Will Kirkman lays out how older drivers are being punished by the largest insurance cost rises in eight years. And Melissa Lawford reveals how a “Toxic cocktail of rates, bills and inflation” could force a 10pc drop in house prices.

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Preceding

Trade surpluses vs Most sweeping set of sanctions ever aimed at a country since World War 2