Each year, the esteemed Times Magazine selects its Person of the Year.
Since 1927, the magazine has been appointing the individual who has had the greatest influence on the world over the past 12 months.
Previous winners include U.S. President Joe Biden, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Pope Francis, and climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Now, they may be joined by a highly controversial figure.
Times Magazine has nominated Russian dictator Vladimir Putin as Person of the Year.
The nomination comes amid Russia's bloody offensive war against Ukraine. Putin's invasion has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, including many civilians.
Competing with Taylor Swift
In its justification, Times Magazine highlights that Putin has been in power in Russia since 1999 and that his war against Ukraine is now in its second year.
"Putin faced a brief threat to his power in 2023 during the Wagner Uprising, but ultimately his influence was strengthened as the mercenaries withdrew following an agreement brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko," the magazine also states in its reasoning.
Other nominees include:
Singer Taylor Swift
King Charles III of Great Britain
Xi Jinping
Donald Trump's prosecutor
CEO of Open AI, Sam Altman
Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell
"Outrageous Decision"
The Ukrainian newspaper Pravda has strongly reacted to the nomination.
"It's an outrageous decision by Times Magazine," they write.
"Putin, the mastermind behind the ongoing war and genocide in Ukraine, is thus nominated as Person of the Year 2023. It's a slap in the face to those who are suffering."
This was reported by the newspaper's English-language account on the social media platform X.
Vladimir Putin has previously been honored with the title. This was in 2007.
