Users have been sharing an image purporting to show a Time magazine cover comparing the Russian President Vladimir Putin to Nazi Germany dictator Adolf Hitler. No such cover was published by Time. The image was created by a graphic designer.

The image shows Hitler’s mustache overlayed onto Putin’s face, with the Time masthead viewable at the top of the image. Small text on the top right of the image reads: “February 28 / March 7, 2022.”

The text on the cover reads: “The Return Of History.” The subheading reads: “How Putin Shattered Europe’s Dreams.”

One user who shared the image on Twitter said: “TIME magazine joins the global Putler wave. It says much about the scale of Putin’s crimes in Ukraine that comparisons between the Nazi and Kremlin dictators have now gone mainstream and no longer seem excessive.”

Another user said: “Time Magazine cover equates Putin with Hitler, as does everyone else #UkraineRussiaWar.”

Other examples of the image being shared online can be viewed (here), (here), (here).

No such cover was published by Time, however.

On February 28, 2022, a graphic designer named Patrick Mulder took to Twitter to confirm that they had created the image: “I created the TIME cover artwork on the day Russia invaded Ukraine. The image is one out of a sequence of three. I wanted to create something that added to the conversation around the invasion of Ukraine and captured the public mood.”

Mulder added: “It wasn’t originally intended to be a TIME cover. The finished image was so powerful, I felt that it deserved to be framed in an equally powerful way. I feel as though the official cover by TIME was uninspired and lacked conviction given the unprecedented events unfolding before our eyes.”

His name can also be seen printed on the bottom right corner of the image.

A spokesperson for Time told Reuters: “This image is not an authentic TIME cover.”

The authentic Time Magazine March 2022 edition has the same headline and subheading as the digitally altered image but instead, features military personnel inside a tank and can be viewed (here), (here).

Verdict

Altered. An image purporting to be a Time magazine cover comparing Russian President Vladimir Putin to the German Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler, was never published by the outlet. The image was created by a graphic designer.