"Destiny" is what the US magazine "Time" calls the Ukrainian president's decision to stay with his people after the Russian invasion. The magazine also honored the "Spirit of Ukraine" this year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year for his opposition to the Russian invasion of his country. "This year's election was the clearest we can remember," writes "Time" editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal. "Whether the struggle for Ukraine fills one with hope or fear, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has electrified the world in a way we haven't seen in decades."
The magazine also called the 44-year-old's decision "fateful" to stay in the capital after Russia invaded at the end of February and the troops advanced on Kyiv. Selenskyj used social media to demonstrate and strengthen cohesion. In addition, he has shown a global presence with daily online speeches in front of parliaments and at cultural events. "His information offensive changed the geopolitical climate and triggered a wave of global action."
Zelenskyi's success stems from the fact that courage is contagious, Time concludes. This sentiment spread among Ukraine's political leadership in the early days of the invasion, when everyone realized that the president had stayed. Just six months earlier, the President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani - a much more experienced leader than Zelenskyy - fled his capital as Taliban forces approached. And in 2014, one of Zelenskyy's predecessors, Viktor Yanukovych, ran away from Kyiv as protesters approached his residence; he still lives in Russia today.
Every year for almost a century, "Time" has traditionally chosen the "Person of the Year" - the person who has changed the world the most in the previous twelve months. In 2022, Selenskyj prevailed against tech billionaire Elon Musk, who was already on the cover in 2021. Along with the President of Ukraine, the magazine also awarded the title to the "Spirit of Ukraine".
