Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky named Time magazine's Person of the Year 2022
Steph Deschamps / December 8, 2022
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, who embodied the resistance of his country against the invasion of Russia, was named Personality of the Year 2022 by the American magazine Time, which also paid tribute to the "spirit of Ukraine.
Whether the battle for Ukraine inspires hope or fear, Volodymyr Zelensky has galvanized the world in a way we haven't seen in decades," wrote Time editor Edward Felsenthal, for whom this year's choice had "never been clearer.
For proving that courage can be as contagious as fear, for inspiring people and nations to unite in defense of freedom, for reminding the world of the fragility of democracy -- and peace -- Volodymyr Zelensky and the spirit of Ukraine are TIME's Person of the Year 2022," the New York-based magazine adds.
In the weeks following the start of Russian bombing on February 24, his decision not to flee Kiev but to stay and rally support was crucial. From his first 40-second Instagram post on Feb. 25 -- showing that his cabinet and civil society were intact and in place -- to daily speeches delivered remotely to institutions like parliaments, the World Bank and the Grammy Awards, Ukraine's president was everywhere," the Time editor elaborated.
In 2021, it was the billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, boss of SpaceX and Tesla, and who has since bought Twitter, who was distinguished.