Time magazine has announced its Person of the Year for 2022.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the spirit of Ukraine have been selected as the newsmaker to represent 2022.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the comedian-turned-president of Ukraine. Zelenskyy became a household name after the invasion of his country by Russia in February, going to the front lines or celebrating with the Ukrainian people as Russian troops pulled out of the area surrounding Kherson.
Zelenskyy addressed the U.S. Congress virtually from Kyiv in March, asking for a no-fly zone and invoking memories of when the U.S. was attacked during Pearl Harbor and Sept. 11, CNN reported.
Time releases list of Person of the Year finalists
The Ukrainian president called the invasion by Russia “war crimes” in April and when Russia announced it would seize four regions in Ukraine, he called it a “farce,” saying that “the entire territory of our country will be liberated.”
Zelenskyy applied for NATO membership, and while Ukraine’s application is being accelerated, it is not clear if and when Ukraine will be accepted by the international alliance, CNN reported.
KIEV, UKRAINE – MARCH 19: aKIEV, UKRAINE – MARCH 19: Ukrainian presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends the rehearsal of his comedy show Liga Smeha (League of Laughter) on March 19, 2019 in Kiev, Ukraine. Ukrainians are set to go to the polls on March 31, choosing from nearly 40 registered candidates. Zelenskiy is in the lead with an unconventional campaign, but it is unlikely he will win an outright majority, forcing a second round runoff of the top two candidates on April 21. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images) on March 19, 2019 in Kiev, Ukraine. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)
KIEV, UKRAINE – MARCH 19: Ukrainian presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelenskiy backstage during the filming of his comedy show Liga Smeha (League of Laughter) on March 19, 2019 in Kiev, Ukraine. Ukrainians are set to go to the polls on March 31, choosing from nearly 40 registered candidates. Zelenskiy is in the lead with an unconventional campaign, but it is unlikely he will win an outright majority, forcing a second round runoff of the top two candidates on April 21. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – OCTOBER 7: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena during an audience at Buckingham Palace on October 7, 2020 in London, England. The President is on a two-day official visit to the UK. (Photo by Jonathan Brady/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – NOVEMBER 01: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives for the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 at SECC on November 1, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. 2021 sees the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference. The conference will run from 31 October for two weeks, finishing on 12 November. It was meant to take place in 2020 but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo by Phil Noble – Pool/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 19: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a statement during the 58th Munich Security Conference (MSC) on February 19, 2022 in Munich, Germany. The conference, which brings together security experts, politicians and people of influence from across the globe, is taking place as Russian troops stand amassed on the Russian, Belarusian and Crimean borders to Ukraine, causing international fears of an imminent military invasion. (Photo by Ronald Wittek – Pool/Getty Images)
WARSAW, POLAND – AUGUST 31: Polish President Andrzej Duda (R) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky listen to their nations’ national anthems upon Zelensky’s arrival at the Presidential Palace on August 31, 2019 in Warsaw, Poland. Zelensky is in Poland for bilateral talks with the Polish government and to take part in tomorrow’s international commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – DECEMBER 09: (L-R) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend their summit on Ukraine at Elysee Palace on December 9, 2019 in Paris, France. The Normandy format was created in 2014 to resolve the conflict between Kiev and the breakaway republics in Ukraine’s east. (Photo by CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON – Pool/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 24: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky attends the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters on September 24, 2019 in New York City. World leaders from across the globe are gathered at the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, amid crises ranging from climate change to possible conflict between Iran and the United States. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 19: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attend a photo opportunity ahead of bilateral talks at the 2022 Munich Security Conference on February 19, 2022 in Munich, Germany. The conference, which brings together security experts, politicians and people of influence from across the globe, is taking place as Russian troops stand amassed on the Russian, Belarusian and Crimean borders to Ukraine, causing international fears of an imminent military invasion. (Photo by Alexandra Beier – Pool/Getty Images)
KIEV, UKRAINE – MARCH 31: Comedian and leading Ukrainian presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelenskiy celebrates after exit polls showed that he likely won the first round of voting at his election night gathering on March 31, 2019 in Kiev, Ukraine. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will face off in a second-round election on April 21. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)
KYIV, UKRAINE – FEBRUARY 01: (L-R) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson seen with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy following their joint news conference on February 1, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. The prime minister held talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a show of support for Ukraine as 100,000 Russian troops amass on the Ukraine border. The UK also announces £88m of new funding for Ukraine to help reduce its reliance on Russian energy supplies. (Photo by Peter Nicholls – Pool/Getty Images)
KYIV, UKRAINE – FEBRUARY 08: French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands at the conclusion of their joint press conference after their meeting on February 08, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. The meeting comes one day after Macron met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and discussed several proposals in a five-hour long meeting in an effort to find common ground on Ukraine and NATO. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 01: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) meets with U.S. President Joe Biden in the Oval Office at the White House on September 01, 2021 in Washington, DC. This was the two leaders’ first face-to-face meeting and the first by a Ukrainian leader in more than four years. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)
BERLIN, GERMANY – JULY 12: German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky give statements ahead of talks at the Chancellery on July 12, 2021 in Berlin , Germany. (Photo by Stefanie Loos-Pool/Getty Images)
There were 10 finalists on the short list, which included Xi Jinping, the U.S. Supreme Court and Elon Musk.
2022 -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is seen during his joint press conference with Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki and Latvian President Egils Levits on September 9, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. As war wages in eastern Ukraine, Belarus’ military drills near the border with Poland, EU nations are increasingly concerned over safety at their borders as well as the energy sources this winter. (Photo by Alexey Furman/Getty Images)
2021 -Tesla CEO Elon Musk talks during a tour of the plant of the future foundry of the Tesla Gigafactory on August 13, 2021 in Grünheide near Berlin, Germany. The US company plans to build around 500,000 of the compact Model 3 and Model Y series here every year. (Photo by Patrick Pleul – Pool/Getty Images)
2020 – (L-R) Vice President Kamala Harris speaks as U.S. President Joe Biden listens during a meeting of the Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access in the State Dining Room of the White House October 4, 2022 in Washington, DC. Tuesday marked 100 days since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade’s federal right to abortion. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
2019 -Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg speaks during a conference with scientists at the COP25 Climate Conference on December 10, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. Thunberg was named Time’s Person of the Year for 2019. (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)
2018 - Slain Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and other journalists, dubbed "The Guardians and the War on Truth," are Time’s Person of the Year for 2018.
2017 – This image shows the cover of Time’s Person of the Year edition as "The Silence Breakers"; those who have shared their stories of sexual assault and harassment. The cover features Ashley Judd, Taylor Swift, Susan Fowler and others.
2016 – President-elect Donald Trump points to his supporters during his "Thank You" rally at Crown Coliseum on December 6, 2016, in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
2015 – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (not pictured) speak to the media following talks at the Chancellery on December 2, 2015, in Berlin, Germany.
2014 – Medical staff members of the Croix Rouge NGO put on protective suits before collecting the corpse of a victim of Ebola in Monrovia on Sept. 29, 2014.
2013 – Pope Francis was elected as the head of the Roman Catholic Church after the resignation/retirement of Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Francis attends his weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square on November 26, 2014, in Vatican City, Vatican.
2012, 2007 – Vladimir Putin – In 2007, Putin was serving as the President of Russia. In 2012, he was re-elected Russia’s President Vladimir Putin arrives for the official welcome at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibitions Centre in Australia.
2011 – The Protester. 2011 was the year of the protestors. The Occupy Movement, Tea Party movement, and Arab Spring all were the focus of cameras.
2010 – Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers the opening keynote at the Facebook f8 conference on April 30, 2014, in San Francisco, California. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked off the annual one-day F8 developers conference.
2009 – Ben Bernanke was Federal Reserve Chairman during the 2007-08 financial crisis. Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke arrives at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to testify at the AIG trial on October 9, 2014, in Washington, DC.
2008 – Barack Obama was elected in 2008 as the first African-American U.S. President. U.S. President Barack Obama takes reporters’ questions during a news conference at the conclusion of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in the Dean Acheson Auditorium.
2005 – The Good Samaritans, personified by Bill Gates, Bono and Melinda Gates. Bill Gates and Bono, attend a press conference during the third day of the World Economic Forum January 25, 2008, in Davos, Switzerland.
2004, 2000 – George W. Bush. Former President George W. Bush was named twice as Person of the Year. In 2000, he was elected as President. In 2004, he was re-elected and was Commander in Chief as the U.S. military fought in Iraq.
2003 – The American soldier was named Person of the Year, not for only fighting in Iraq, but also for forces fighting around the world.
2002 – The Whistleblowers.Sherron Watkins, Colleen Rowley and Cynthia Cooper were named Persons of the Year.
2001 – Rudolph Giuliani was Mayor of New York City during the 9/11 attacks. Rudy Giuliani visits "Cavuto" On FOX Business Network at FOX Studios on September 23, 2014, in New York City.
1999 – Jeff Bezos. Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeffrey P. Bezos speaks at an event unveiling the new Amazon Kindle 2 at the Morgan Library & Museum on February 9, 2009, in New York City.
1998 – Ken Starr, Bill Clinton
