On Wednesday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was named TIME’s 2022 Person of the Year.
The 44-year-old president has received praise for his handling of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February. The former comedian and actor has been seen on the front lines of war, often inspiring his troops and survivors of horrific bombings that have been widely shared across social media.
However, the announcement was not without controversy.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Spirit of Ukraine Named TIME’s 2022 Person of the Year
TIME’s Person of the Year 2022: Volodymyr Zelensky and the spirit of Ukraine #TIMEPOY https://t.co/06Y5fuc0fG pic.twitter.com/i8ZT3d5GDa
— TIME (@TIME) December 7, 2022
In an article announcing the decision, TIME reporter Simon Shuster spent two hours on a private train discussing everything from Zelenskyy’s history as an actor to his thoughts on the war.
“As I see it, it is my duty to go there and show them that Ukraine is back, that it supports them,” Zelenskyy said of his desire to visit the war-torn region. “Perhaps it will give them enough of a boost to last a few more days. But I’m not sure. I do not lull myself into such illusions.”
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Zelenskyy reflected on the cultural comedy shared by Ukraine and Russia when he was growing up, citing filmmakers like Leonid Gaidai. “This is a classic of my generation, but I can’t afford to watch it now,” he said. “They rebelled against me.”
Even his top advisers felt that Zelenskyy had a tough quality to him since the war began. “There used to be this light quality to him,” said military adviser Oleksiy Arestovych. “Fast movements, fast decisions, lots of talking, jokes. Now you see a kind of bruise. He lost that actor quality, and he turned into a boss.”
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Now, instead of deciding which line to improvise, Zelenskyy is focusing on reducing the number of human lives lost in war. “We can push to Kherson earlier, with greater strength. But we understand how many people will fall,” explained Zelenskyy.
“That’s why different tactics were chosen, and thank God it worked. I don’t think it was a genius move on our part,” he continued. “It is reason that wins, wisdom wins against speed and ambition.”
Wikipedia
Fortunately, Zelenskyy is able to spend more time with his family now than he did last spring, when the war had just begun. During a recent visit with his 9-year-old son, Kyrylo, Zelenskyy admitted that he was surprised to see that his son was now interested in military matters.
“He studied everything. He looked it up online. He spoke to the bodyguard,” Zelenskyy revealed. “He is a fan of our armed forces, our soldiers, and he knows deeply what our mission is, what we are liberating, what weapons we have, and what we are missing.”
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When it comes to who might win the war, however, the Ukrainian President said he does not “want to weigh who has more tanks and troops.” He called Russia, “a powerful country that pathologically does not want to give up Ukraine.”
“They see Ukraine’s democracy and freedom as a question of their own survival,” he continued, adding, “If they eat us, the sun in your sky will grow dimmer.”
Not Everyone Thinks Zelenskyy Is the Right Choice for Person of the Year
Just a quick reminder @time opinions about who should be the man/person of the year are not always correct. pic.twitter.com/Kbmw3mGxaW
— Jac Jax (@Starfoxy32) December 7, 2022
Although some users supported the decision to name Zelenskyy and the Spirit of Ukraine TIME 2022 Person of the Year, not everyone did. “Just a quick reminder that @time’s opinion on who should be man/person of the year isn’t always right,” one user responded to the tweet along with a photo of Hitler on TIME’s cover.
A user comment, “For people who have negative comments, how do you propose to stop the war? It seems to me that you want Zelensky to give up his territory to end the war and not to get support. Check yourself for fairness. May God protect Ukraine.”
It’s worth noting that Tesla CEO and new “Chief Twit” Elon Musk is TIME’s 2021 Person of the Year, proving that, if nothing else, TIME’s Person of the Year has a history of controversy.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
