Time magazine has named Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and "the spirit of Ukraine'' as 2022 person of the year. The honour is for the country's resistance against Russia's aggression and "countless individuals inside and outside the country."
Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal called Zelensky's decision not to flee his nation "fateful" and "the most clear-cut in memory." The leader also rallied the people to show resistance. Since the invasion began on February 24, he spoke to people every day.
Felsenthal wrote: "His information offensive shifted the geopolitical weather system, setting off a wave of action that swept the globe. Whether the battle for Ukraine fills one with hope or with fear, Volodymyr Zelensky galvanised the world in a way we haven't seen in decades." He also went to Sloviansk, a town close to eastern Donetsk which Russia annexed, and claimed as Ukraine's in September. The Time magazine's profile said Zelensky's success as a wartime leader shows that courage is contagious.
Ukraine's political leadership felt encouraged when they realised that Zelensky stuck around, wrote Simon Shuster on Time magazine's profile. He also compared Zelensky to the former President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, who fled during the Taliban takeover. A parallel was drawn between Zelensky and former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych when protesters demanded his removal. Other world leaders of Albania, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Yugoslavia who fled in the face of German invasion and remained in exile until the conflict ended were also mentioned.
Zelensky's speeches were followed by governments and people across the world. He was also seen on the frontlines of the war. When the Ukrainian military pushed Russian forces back, the President was seen celebrating with people in the streets of Kherson.
The magazine cover announcing the 'person of the year' featured Zelensky on the front surrounded by an illustration of frontline workers like surgeons in the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag.