President Zelenskyy and 'spirit of Ukraine' named Time magazine's Person of the Year

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been named Time Magazine's person of the year.

In an article dedicated to the war-time leader, the New York-based publication credited the 44-year-old for "proving that courage can be as contagious as fear and for inspiring people and nations to unite in defence of freedom."

Time's editor Edward Felsenthal said Zelenskyy has galvanised the world in a way we haven't seen in decades.

When Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24th, the president was commended by world leaders for not fleeing Kyiv.

Instead, he utilised his media skills to rally support in daily speeches to state parliaments, the world bank, and even the Grammy awards.

The former comedian rose to prominence when he starred as Ukraine's accidental president in Servant of the People.

Years later he won Ukraine's presidential election with 73% of the vote in the second round.

Since the war began, the president's approval ratings have improved.

In April 2022, Statistica found that 74% of Ukrainians surveyed strongly approved of the actions of Zelenskyy, while 20% somewhat improved.

Zelenskyy has visited defending troops on the battlefield, sites of strikes and devastation across the country, and hosted many Western diplomats to encourage partners to provide financial and humanitarian aid and emotional support to both his troops and Ukraine's residents.

As the war nears the 10-month mark, Zelenskyy has vowed to push Russian forces out of Ukrainian territory once and for all.