Ukrainian President and the spirit of his people honoured by Time
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been named 2022 Person of the Year by Time magazine, along with ‘the spirit of Ukraine’ as the nation continues to repel Putin’s Russian forces
READING LEVEL: ORANGE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and “the spirit of Ukraine” have been named joint winners of Time magazine’s 2022 Person of the Year for the leader and his country’s resistance* in the face of Russia’s invasion.
After Zelensky’s “fateful” decision to stay in the capital Kyiv and rally his country, Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal said this year’s decision was “the most clear-cut in memory.”
Since Russia’s February 24 invasion, Zelensky has delivered daily speeches that are followed not only by Ukrainians but by citizens and governments around the globe.
He has appeared on the frontlines* and recently celebrated in the streets of Kherson when Ukraine pushed Russia from the critical southern city.
“His information offensive* shifted the geopolitical* weather system, setting off a wave of action that swept the globe,” Felsenthal wrote in announcing the winner.
“Whether the battle for Ukraine fills one with hope or with fear, Volodymyr Zelensky galvanised* the world in a way we haven’t seen in decades.”
Zelensky’s response to the Russian invasion has transformed the 44-year-old former comedian from a struggling leader to a global household name.
He has also become the standard-bearer* of opposition to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who himself was Time’s Person of the Year in 2007.
Zelensky, who was born in the southern industrial* city of Kryviy Rih in the heart of a mainly Russian-speaking region, has presented his country as the frontline in a broader conflict.
His appeals to the West for military and financial support, at times echoing the words of British wartime leader Winston Churchill*, have helped Ukraine halt Russia’s advance and recapture swathes* of territory.
Zelensky shares the 2022 title with “the spirit of Ukraine,” which Felsenthal said was embodied* by the “countless individuals inside and outside the country” who are fighting behind the scenes, including everyday people such as chefs and surgeons.
Time’s cover artwork for the edition features Zelensky in his now iconic* green fatigues*, surrounded by dozens of individuals, including demonstrators bearing the Ukrainian flag, who together represent that spirit. Among those depicted* are Iryna Kondratova, who helped deliver babies during shelling, Kyiv chef Levgen Klopotenko, who turned his restaurant into a relief canteen, and Kyiv Independent editor-in-chief, Olga Rudenko.
“The Russians need to understand … They will have no forgiveness. They will have no acceptance in the world,” Zelensky says in an interview published in the issue.
Time first presented its Person of the Year award in 1927.
Last year’s honoree was Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, who has since made major headlines with his high-profile purchase of Twitter.
GLOSSARY
- resistance: people or organisations fighting against ore refusing to accept something
- fateful: decisive and important, having momentous significance
- frontlines: areas where fighting armies face each other
- offensive: large-scale and planned course of action over an extended period of time
- geopolitical: influence of factors like geography, economics and demography on politics
- galvanised: caused someone or many people to suddenly take action
- standard-bearer: leader of a group of people who have similar ideas, interests or aims
- industrial city: a city built and sustained by industry and often characterised by factories
- Winston Churchill: revered British Prime Minister, soldier, orator and writer (1874-1965), Churchill led Britain to victory in the Second World War
- swathes: a long strip or large area especially of land
- embodied: to represent a quality or an idea in concrete or bodily form
- iconic: very famous or popular, considered to represent particular opinions or time
- fatigues: brownish green uniform worn by soldiers when working or fighting
- depicted: represented or showed something in a picture, story or film
EXTRA READING
Banksy mural in bombed Ukraine
Ukrainian teens find friends in smiley Sydney
What is happening between Ukraine and Russia
QUICK QUIZ
- President Zelensky shares the honour with which joint winner?
- When did Russia invade Ukraine?
- Who was the Time magazine Person of the Year in 2007?
- What does Kyiv chef Levgen Klopotenko have to do with the war in Ukraine?
- When did Time magazine first present its Person of the Year award?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Who is your person of the year?
Who is your Person of the Year? Design a poster all about why the person you have chosen deserves this honour. Your person can be famous or someone in your school, family or community.
Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Civics and Citizenship; Personal and Social Capability; Visual Communication Design
2. Extension
Why do you think it’s important to have the Person of the Year award? Write paragraphs explaining your opinion. Use the story to help give you ideas.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Civics and Citizenship
VCOP ACTIVITY
Your 2022 Person of the Year
In the classroom activity, you nominated your own Person of the Year and designed a poster that illustrates who you would choose and why.
There may be many reasons for your choice, but now select the top three and see if you can expand each one with an explanation of evidence that supports your statements.
Don’t forget your VCOP to grab the audience’s attention.