Vinay Menon: Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not just Time’s Person of the Year — he is a leader for the ages

This might be the easiest decision in the history of Time magazine.

I don’t know how long editors deliberated in 1927 before bestowing the first “Man of the Year” distinction on aviator Charles Lindbergh. But my guess is the 2022 selection meeting gaveled to a close before the coffee pot in the boardroom was lukewarm.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Time’s Person of The Year. This one is a no-brainer.

It’s hard to imagine a more deserving recipient for any award in 2022.

The news arrived on Wednesday, or 287 days after Russia invaded Ukraine.

As a 40-mile convoy of tanks and military vehicles rumbled ominously across Ukraine’s border on Feb. 24, the world gasped with horror at the crackling TV images. Russian forces were en route to Kyiv to decapitate the government. A peaceful, democratic country was under attack by a nuclear superpower with a track record of subterfuge.

Experts doubted Ukraine would survive a week.

Enter the Person of the Year.

Before Feb. 24, most “Jeopardy!” players would have struggled to pick Mr. Zelenskyy out of a group shot of political leaders. Those hangdog eyes were unknown on the world stage. Now the former actor and comedian, just 44, was a wartime president.

Zelenskyy has since put on a master class in leadership and moral imperative.

It started in the first few hours after Russia’s illegal invasion. Zelenskyy was offered safe passage out of Ukraine by foreign governments convinced his assassination was imminent. Zelenskyy refused to leave his people or rule in exile.

He had — and arguably still has — zero interest in his own self-preservation.

As he reportedly told the U.S.: “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”

In Wednesday’s Time story — a long read worth every second — the writer Simon Shuster makes a crucial observation: “Zelenskyy’s success as a wartime leader has relied on the fact that courage is contagious.”

This might explain why Ukrainians have showcased superhuman resolve in the face of daily war crimes and hardships most of us will never fathom. Vladimir Putin, a treacherous thug with imaginary grievances and delusions of empire, targeted Ukrainian civilians from Day 1 of his euphemistic “special military operation.”

Putin’s beleaguered army, sputtering badly on the battlefield for nine months and counting, has turned to weaponizing food, water, heat and, most of all, the sanctity of normal existence. There are young Ukrainian children with grey hair who are saddled with recurring nightmares that will extend into adulthood after what they’ve witnessed.

Evil is a word that is both undervalued and overused. But no other word comes to mind as Russia bombs schools, theatres, hospitals, playgrounds, train stations and homes.

The rape and pillaging are Middle Ages. The mass graves leave no modern doubt.

Russia is a terrorist state committing atrocities. Call it what it is.

But instead of bowing down to this evil, President Zelenskyy stood up, rallying his people with nightly pep talks while grabbing the free world by the collar and forcing it to not blink away from the abyss. As Zelenskyy said of Russia’s aggression: “We are dealing with a powerful state that is pathologically unwilling to let Ukraine go … If they devour us, the sun in your sky will get dimmer.”

His ability to instantly frame this invasion as a global conflict between peace and violence, civilization and barbarism, rules and chaos, democracy and autocracy, good and evil, is why Ukraine continues to take the fight to Russia, including now in Russia.

Zelenskyy summoned strength. Courage is contagious.

How this all ends remains an open question.

But 287 days later, Volodymyr Zelenskyy still remains focused only on victory.

We should all be so lucky to have politicians this steadfast and inspiring.

His background in entertainment should not be overlooked. Zelenskyy won the Ukrainian version of “Dancing With the Stars” in 2006. He starred in “Servant of the People,” a TV show that, in retrospect, is an eerie example of art imitating future life. Understanding cameras and sound stages, Zelenskyy harnessed the power of image and message as it relates to war. He has delivered passionate speeches to governments, international bodies, cultural groups and educational institutions.

I’m surprised he hasn’t yet remotely hosted an episode of “Saturday Night Live.”

For nine months, while eluding Russian forces, he has remained vibrantly front and centre in the world’s eyes. That’s quite a feat. While speaking via satellite from an undisclosed bunker far away from his own family, Zelenskyy has single-handedly prevented us from allowing Ukraine to get lost in the labyrinth of our attention deficit.

On Wednesday, Google released its annual trend report. As the Star reported: “‘Ukraine’ was one of the top trending terms in four different categories, including being the number one most searched news term in Canada.”

Even the Kardashians can’t do that.

Shortly after Russian forces retreated from Kherson last month, Zelenskyy visited the city against the wishes of his security detail, who feared shadowy saboteurs and booby traps. There could be no way to guarantee his safety.

He went anyway to boost spirits and send another message.

As he told Time: “As I see it, it’s my duty to go there and show them that Ukraine has returned, that it supports them.” As for what has motivated his every action during this harrowing and horrifying year: “It’s the people.”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not just the Person of the Year.

He is a leader for the ages.

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