CLAIM: USAID paid Time magazine 4 million dollars to name Zelenskyy “Person of the Year.”
CONCLUSION: The claim that USAID paid 4 million dollars to Time magazine to name Zelenskyy as Person of the Year is false and has been thoroughly debunked by multiple independent sources, official government records, and the very media outlets involved in the claim.
The claim appeared on the websites bankingnews.gr, katohika.gr, and press-gr.com.
The allegation that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) paid Time magazine 4 million dollars to name Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “Person of the Year” began circulating in late February 2025, promoted by, among others, Russian media and the disinformation network “Pravda/Portal Kombat.” This particular disinformation network is also active in Greece.
The rumor originated from a doctored video shared on social media, which was falsely presented as a publication from the New York Post. However, the New York Post itself categorically denied any involvement with the content of the video.
For its part, Time magazine stated clearly that the selection of Zelenskyy as Person of the Year was made solely by its editorial team, without any external influence or payment. The decision was based on his leadership role during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and was extensively covered by international media outlets.
Moreover, according to the official U.S. government spending database (usaspending.gov), there is no record of any financial transaction between USAID and Time magazine. USAID operates under a strict transparency framework, and its financial activities are fully accessible to the public, making any such transaction impossible to go unnoticed.
The Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation also debunked the claim, labeling it part of a coordinated disinformation campaign. It is worth noting that such false reports are often used to undermine support for Ukraine and to damage the credibility of international institutions and media organizations.
Organizations such as Lead Stories, AFP Fact Check, CheckYourFact, and others have debunked the claim.
Conclusion
The claim that USAID paid 4 million dollars to Time magazine to name Zelenskyy as Person of the Year is false and has been thoroughly debunked by multiple independent sources, official government records, and the very media outlets implicated in the claim.