Time’s 2022 Person of the Year: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Posted December 7, 2022 7:05 am.
Last Updated December 7, 2022 7:50 am.
Time Magazine has revealed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as its 2022 ‘Person of the Year.’
The announcement was made Wednesday morning on NBC’s Today Show.
Other candidates on the 2022 shortlist included Chinese President Xi Jinping, protesters in Iran, and last year’s Person of the Year — Elon Musk.
TIME's 2022 Person of the Year: Volodymyr Zelensky and the spirit of Ukraine #TIMEPOY https://t.co/06Y5fuc0fG pic.twitter.com/i8ZT3d5GDa
— TIME (@TIME) December 7, 2022
Zelensky was thrust into the global spotlight following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 10 months ago and has become the most prominent face of the conflict, making daily video updates about the war.
“Zelensky really galvanized the world in a way we haven’t seen in decades,” says Time Editor-in-Chief Edward Felsenthal. “Not just other governments, but major companies that pulled out of Russia enmasse and countless individuals around the world who came together around this cause, around this country.”
The Ukraine president shares the award with a general group dubbed ‘The Spirit of Ukraine.’
The Time article tells the story of Zelensky and Ukraine’s united front against the invasion.
“Zelensky’s success as a wartime leader has relied on the fact that courage is contagious,” reads the article. “It spread through Ukraine’s political leadership in the first days of the invasion, as everyone realized the President had stuck around.”
Throughout the year, the actor turned president made trips to the frontlines and celebrated with residents of Kherson after Russian troops withdrew from the city in the fall. Zelensky told the magazine it is still too early to gauge whether he will be able to make his vision of victory a reality.
“Later we will be judged,” he says. “I have not finished this great, important action for our country. Not yet.”
In addition to President Xi, the Iranian protesters, and Musk, other shortlist candidates included Liz Cheney, Mackenzie Scott, Ron DeSantis, Janet Yellen, the U.S. Supreme Court and gun safety advocates.
Prior to Musk in 2021, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris split the award in 2020 after being elected President and Vice President of U.S.
