As we near the end of another tumultuous year, one story has dominated the news agenda on almost every level. Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February had been signposted for months, but the shattering of Europe’s postwar order still came as a seismic shock.
The economic and human cost inflicted by Russia on Ukraine has been enormous, while the concurrent shock waves of energy, food and migration crises have reverberated around the world. In a special essay for the final Guardian Weekly magazine of 2022, diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour examines the competing grand narratives of the past that lie at the heart of the conflict – and which make it so difficult to resolve.
The origins of illustrator Sam Green’s powerful image for the magazine’s cover go back to sketches he created at the start of the Ukraine war. “I had this discarded draft of Putin’s head as a blown-out hole in the wall,” Sam writes. “I’m very glad it was resurrected. For me it points the finger at the person responsible for all the horror and chaos that has been inflicted on Ukraine and its people.”
In other reflections on 2022, we look back at a year of scientific successes, from medicine to mathematics via the moon. From the Observer, we remember those we lost over the course of the year, by those who knew them best. There’s a stunning photo gallery featuring work from the agency photographers of the year, and a comprehensive look at the best film and music of 2022 – not forgetting the now traditional roundup of the Guardian Weekly team’s must-see TV.
From Montreal came some hopeful news to round off an otherwise alarming year for the environment. The Cop15 biodiversity summit reached international agreement to try to halt the destruction of Earth’s ecosystems, including targets to protect 30% of the planet for nature by the end of the decade and restore 30% of degraded water, coastal and marine ecosystems. Biodiversity reporters Patrick Greenfield and Phoebe Weston have the details.
As the holiday season approaches, there is still time to take advantage of our fantastic 50% discount gifting offer on a Guardian Weekly annual subscription – the perfect present for a friend or relative! But hurry – the offer is available for a limited time only. See here for more details.
The Guardian Weekly now takes a short break from publishing, but we’ll be back in the new year with our 6 January 2023 edition. Thank you for your continued support of Guardian and Observer journalism in 2022. If you mark a holiday at this time of year, we hope it is a peaceful one.
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