Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who came to embody his country’s resistance to Russia’s military invasion, was named “Person of the Year 2022” on Wednesday by the American magazine Time, which also paid tribute to the “spirit of Ukraine.”

Having refused to leave Kyiv at the beginning of the war, during the period of powerful Russian bombings, former actor Volodymyr Zelenskyi managed to unite his compatriots through television broadcasts from the capital of Ukraine and trips to the war-torn country, the publication notes. The American after the announcement of the winner of this annual award, AFP, Reuters and Agerpres write.

“Whether the battle for Ukraine inspires hope or fear, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has electrified the world in a way we haven’t seen in decades,” wrote Time magazine editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal, who believes that this year’s election “has never been clearer.” .

“Because he proved that courage can be as contagious as fear, because he inspires people and countries to unite in defense of freedom, because he reminded the world of the fragility of democracy — and peace — Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the spirit of Ukrainians — the individual 2022 of the year by Time magazine,” added the editor-in-chief of this New York-based publication.

“For several weeks after the first Russian bombings on February 24, his decision not to flee Kyiv, but to stay and gain the support of the population was decisive. From his first 40-second Instagram post on February 25, which showed that his government and civil society were whole, to his daily remote speeches to institutions such as parliament, the World Bank and the Grammys, the president of Ukraine has been present everywhere,” added Edward Felsenthal.

Billionaire Elon Musk — the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX who recently became the patron saint of Twitter — has been named the 2021 Person of the Year, the year his electric car company became the world’s most valuable carmaker. The tradition of annually awarding this title was started by Time magazine in 1927.

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