Breaking: TIME Magazine Names Person Of The Year

By
David Rufful
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OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.

Last year, Time magazine selected Elon Musk as Person of the Year” for 2021.

This year, they have chosen Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “Person of the Year” for 2022.

Time magazine calls it an “obvious choice” because he allegedly has “galvanized the world.”

Beginning in 2014, there has been an ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-Russian separatists.

Russia initially annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. Pro-Russian separatists in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk declared independence from Ukraine.

The Ukrainian government, backed by Western countries, has been fighting against the separatists, who are supported by Russia.

The war has caused significant destruction and loss of life. Over 13,000 people have been killed and nearly 30,000 have been injured in the fighting. The United Nations estimates that more than 1.5 million people have been displaced as a result of the conflict.

The war has also had a detrimental effect on the economy of Ukraine. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has provided economic assistance to help Ukraine recover, but the ongoing conflict has made it difficult for the country to attract foreign investment and improve its economy.

Efforts to end the war have been ongoing, but have so far been unsuccessful.

In 2015, a peace agreement known as the Minsk Protocol was signed by representatives of Ukraine, Russia, and the separatist rebels. The agreement called for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons, but both sides have accused each other of violating the terms of the agreement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a recent invasion in Ukraine and created a “special operation” to oust Zelensky. He labeled the Ukrainian president and his administration an illegitimate “Nazi” regime that must be eliminated.

Zelensky was initially elected as the “pro-Russian” choice in 2019 against incumbent Petro Poroshenko.

Zelensky has been furious with Putin’s new operation. In response to being labeled a “Nazi,” Zelensky noted that he’s Jewish and his ancestors fought in the Soviet military against the Nazis in the Second World War.