The Economist named Ukraine country of the year in 2022

The Economist named Ukraine the country of the year in 2022 for the heroism of its people and resistance to the aggressor.

This is reported by The Economist.

"Picking The Economist's country of the year is hard. Our writers and editors usually begin with a freewheeling debate in which they spar over the rival claims of half a dozen shortlisted nations. 

But this year, for the first time since we started naming countries of the year in 2013, the choice is obvious. It can only be Ukraine."

This honor is usually given to the country that, in our opinion, has improved the most over the previous 12 months.

The honor normally goes to the country which, in our view, has improved the most in the previous 12 months. 

So Ukraine is, in one sense, an unusual choice in that life for most Ukrainians has grown spectacularly worse since vladimir putin's unprovoked invasion of their country in February.

Multitudes have died. Cities have been smashed and charred. Millions have fled their homes. Ukraine's economy has shrunk by about a third. Because of Russian attacks, many Ukrainians are shivering in the dark without electricity. Yet Ukrainians have proved themselves this year," the text says.

According to the authors of the rating, four qualities of Ukrainians stand out: heroism, ingenuity, resilience, and inspiration.

It is noted that at the beginning of the invasion, most people thought that a much larger neighbor would crush Ukraine, and russian president vladimir putin expected that the Ukrainian army would surrender, but the Ukrainians fought heroically and held out, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected offers to leave the country.

By ingenuity, the authors of the award mean that the Ukrainians spotted their enemies' weak points, blew up their fuel and ammunition reserves, and quickly learned to use new weapons supplied by the West. Officers were also empowered to make decisions on the ground, which made their units more flexible.

Ukrainians also demonstrated resilience. When there is no tap water at home, they melt the snow. When there is no electricity, they find heat and light in cafes with diesel generators or sleep in the offices where they work, many of which now have bomb shelters and bottled water.

"The horrors that putin continues to inflict on them do not seem to have undermined their morale," The Economist notes.

And it adds that "with a small exception, they (Ukrainians – ed.) did not respond to war crimes with war crimes."

"Russian forces have routinely bombed civilians, tortured captives, and plundered villages. By contrast, Russian prisoners-of-war are startled at how well they are treated. This is largely because Ukraine is not, as Mr putin claims, a Nazi state, but a democracy where human lives matter. It has its flaws, notably corruption, but its government and people had rejected Putinism even before the war, and now they reject it more strenuously," the article reads.

The Economist also believes that the Ukrainians, speaking out against the "russian despot," protected their neighbors. Because if putin conquered Ukraine, he could attack Moldova or Georgia or threaten the Baltic states.

"Ukraine has shown that underdogs can stand up to bullies, even enormous ones. It has thus been an inspiration not only to places with predatory neighbours, such as Taiwan, but also to oppressed people everywhere. Many tyrants broadcast big lies to justify their misdeeds, and impose their will through terror," the article says.