The American magazine Time has declared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the strength of Ukraine Person of the Year 2022. The ‘award’ is given annually to an individual, group, idea or place that has “done the most to influence the events of the year, for better or for worse.” Other contenders included Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iran’s anti-government protesters and billionaire Elon Musk, who was also named person of the year last year.
Time appointed Zelensky and Ukraine for “proving that courage can be as contagious as fear, for moving people and nations to come together to protect freedom” and for “reminding the world how fragile democracy and peace are .”
Time, which has been regarded as a leading (bi)weekly magazine since 1923, has been proclaiming a person of the year since 1927. In recent years, climate activist Greta Thunberg (2019), the just-elected US president Donald Trump (2016) and all creators on the internet (2006) have won, among others. If you go further back in time, you end up with Adolf Hitler (1938) and the Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini (1979).
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