Well, Zelensky gets to add yet another trophy to his shelf. Will it sit cozily next to the Oscar that Sean Penn handed over to him? Who knows. That said, being named Person of the Year is a questionable honor.

Time magazine named Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky 2022’s ‘Person of the Year’ on Wednesday, saying he inspired Ukrainians and won global accolades for his courage in resisting Russia’s devastating invasion.

Refusing to leave Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv at the outbreak of the war as Russian bombs rained down, the former comedian rallied his compatriots in broadcasts from the capital and traveled across his war-torn nation, the publication noted in bestowing its annual title.

Why is it questionable? Because A. those who’ve been given the title before include Hitler, Stalin, and Putin to name but a few, and B. Because of who was on this year’s short list. 

Janet Yellen: questionable because she is part of the Biden Administration that is working to drive us further into a recession. 

Liz Cheney: very questionable because January 6 commission. 

Xi: incredibly questionable because concentration camps and Covid being unleashed across the world!

That said, this new award alongside the Ripple of Hope award from last night that saw Harry and Meghan receive some sort of anti-racism participation trophy does bring more attention to Ukraine and it’s continued fight against Russia. 

Finally, an issue of TIME I can say I've paid for.

— U.S. Ministry of Truth (@USMiniTru) December 7, 2022

Do I think Russia was wrong for invading Ukraine? Absolutely. Do I think that Ukraine needed resources to help push back Russian troops? Certainly. However, we are now looking at $105 BILLION in taxpayer dollars going to Ukraine with little to no oversight as to where the funds are going. 

Congress has passed three aid packages. The first in March ($13.6 billion) was tacked onto the massive $1.5 trillion omnibus appropriations for FY 2022. The package in May ($40 billion), which contained the major portion of the aid, was a standalone bill. The package in September ($13.7 billion) was attached to the continuing resolution. It was designed to provide aid through December, when Congress will consider full-year appropriation bills. As the chart below shows, the three packages total $68 billion.

On November 15, the administration submitted a new aid request of $37.7 billion which, if passed, would bring the total to $105.5 billion. This new aid package is designed to last through the end of the fiscal year (September 30, 2023). However, at the current rate of spending ($6.8 billion per month), this would last until about May. At that point, unless the war has ended or settled into a stalemate, the administration would need to ask for additional money.

I get that Ukraine needs power, food, medical supplies, and more to survive. But where is the money actually going? How is it being spent? Our own national security is at risk on several levels because of all the money along with weapons and ammunition that are being sent to Ukraine. 

As donations to Ukraine strain allied munitions stockpiles, the U.S. Army is seeking a “dramatic” ramp up in monthly production of 155mm artillery shells over the next three years, its chief weapons buyer said Saturday.

~Snip

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth separately told reporters that the U.S. will go from making 14,000 155mm shells each month to 20,000 by the spring and 40,000 by 2025.

I know full well that the manufacturers involved are already running at full speed, ramping up even more takes time. The fact that our OWN stockpiles of weapons and ammo are running low is a red flag to me. There needs to be accountability from everyone involved, including Zelensky. 

Ukraine’s history, especially during this century has been filled with horror, strife, and hunger. As Zelensky notes and we’ve written here and here, Ukrainians still remember the atrocity that was Holodomor. 

During his childhood, Zelensky’s grandmother would talk about the time when Soviet soldiers came to confiscate the food grown in Ukraine, its vast harvests of grain and wheat, all carted away at gunpoint. It was part of the Kremlin’s attempt, in the early 1930s, to remake Soviet society, and it led to a catastrophic famine known as the Holodomor—“murder by hunger”—that killed at least 3 million people in Ukraine.

It was a taboo subject one that was spoken of very quietly. Ukraine hadn’t recovered from that when World War II happened and many Ukrainians including members of Zelensky’s family were killed in concentration camps. 

But again, as Time’s Person of the Year, what will be next for Zelensky and Ukraine? 

Since a Vogue photo shoot was already done (more than a bit tone-deaf if you ask me), will there be a spread in Variety? 

I must admit, given the short list of 2022 nominees, at least Zelensky and the people of Ukraine were better choices than the other contenders! 

Feature Photo Credit: President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, official portrait, cropped, Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)