Zelensky is Named Time Magazine’s 2022 Person of the Year

(CTN News) – The Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, whose efforts to stave off Russia’s invasion of his nation have garnered global praise, has been recognized by TIME magazine as its person of the year alongside “the spirit of Ukraine.”

Edward Felsenthal, editor-in-chief of TIME, said on Wednesday that Volodymyr Zelensky “galvanized the globe in a manner we haven’t seen in decades, whether the struggle for Ukraine inspires one with optimism or with terror.”

“His choice to remain in Kyiv and mobilize support rather than leave proved pivotal in the weeks that followed the start of the Russian bombing on February 24.

“Ukraine’s President was everywhere, from his first 40-second Instagram post on February 25 — demonstrating that his Cabinet and civil society were intact and functioning — to daily speeches made remotely to venues like houses of Parliament, the World Bank, and the Grammy Awards,” Felsenthal continued.

In a matter of a few years, Zelensky’s unexpected professional path propelled him from a comedy performer to a wartime president.

At 41, he was elected president of Ukraine in April 2019. He had previously worked as an actor, appearing in romantic comedies and co-founding a lucrative TV production firm.

His emotional video speeches from the streets of the shell-damaged city of Kyiv, where he remained after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, brought him new renown.

This was despite information suggesting he was a top target for the Russian invaders and a US evacuation offer.

According to the Ukrainian embassy in Britain, he told the US, “The struggle is here; I need ammo, not a ride.”

Numerous people, both within and outside of Ukraine, “embodied the spirit of Ukraine,” according to Felsenthal.

Volodymyr Zelensky and the spirit of Ukraine are TIME’s 2022 Person of the Year for “showing that bravery can be as infectious as fear, for inspiring individuals and countries to join together in defence of freedom, for reminding the world of the fragility of democracy – and of peace,” Felsenthal said.

Zelensky succeeds Elon Musk as the 2021 TIME Person of the Year. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, was named TIME’s Person of the Year in 2007.

Although the title is not always given as an honour, it does show that the recipient has a significant impact on international events.

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