Der Spiegel magazine is one of the most popular, respected, and influential weekly news magazines in Europe, published since 1947. Its core focus is on critical, topical socio-political and economic issues. This specific issue was donated to the museum by researcher Anna Rafalska, who became a forced refugee due to the brutal Russian invasion and found temporary shelter in the German city of Karlsruhe (Baden-Württemberg).
The magazine consists of 62 sheets with double-sided color printing and photographic illustrations. It features a soft cover showing a night cityscape engulfed in fire from an enemy air attack (barely lit high-rise buildings stand in the foreground, with a fiery glow and a column of smoke in the background). In the center of the cover photo, a two-line caption in white and yellow German font reads: "PUTINS KRIEG / Der Angriff, der die Welt verändert" (English: "Putin’s war / the attack that changed the world"). The image is bordered by a red-to-orange gradient frame featuring source details printed in white and black: the title DER SPIEGEL (top left), the issue number, retail price in Germany, and a barcode (top right), as well as pricing for various European countries (left margin). Issue No. 9 is dated February 26, 2022, and contains articles detailing the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Significant attention is dedicated to analyzing the global and European consequences of the total war unleashed by Russia.