<p>Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy was named TIME’s 2022 Person of the Year on Wednesday for his “success as a wartime leader has relied on the fact that courage is contagious.”</p> <p>Zelenskyy was given the award along with the “Spirit of Ukraine” to mark the country’s defiance against Russia’s invasion.</p> <p>"Zelenskyy's success as a wartime leader has relied on the fact that courage is contagious," TIME explained, referring to his refusal to leave Kyiv as it was under attack from Moscow. The act inspired Ukrainians to stand up to Russian aggression and gave him a reputation as a heroic figure.</p> <p>"It spread through Ukraine's political leadership in the first days of the invasion, as everyone realized the President had stuck around," TIME said.</p>