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Ukraine's former commander-in-chief says Russia’s allies’ involvement signals global conflict

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Ukraine's former commander-in-chief says Russia’s allies’ involvement signals global conflict
General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.K. addresses delegates during the first day of the Labour Party conference on September 22, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's former commander-in-chief and current ambassador to the U.K., claimed that World War III is underway. Speaking at the Ukrainska Pravda-100 award ceremony on Nov. 20, Zaluzhnyi pointed to the direct involvement of Russia's allies in the war against Ukraine as evidence of a global conflict.

"I believe that in 2024, we can absolutely assume that World War III has begun," Zaluzhnyi said. He emphasized that Ukraine is no longer fighting Russia alone. "Ukraine is facing soldiers from North Korea. Let's be honest. Iranian-made Shaheds [loitering munitions] are killing civilians in Ukraine quite openly. It's missiles made in North Korea that are being launched onto Ukraine, and they are openly declaring this. Chinese-made shells are exploding in Ukraine, and Chinese parts are used in Russian missiles."

Zaluzhnyi argued that military experts widely agree these developments signify a world war. He urged global leaders to recognize the situation and take decisive action.

"What we've expected for so long has started. But I want to say that God Himself is giving a chance, not only to Ukraine but to the whole world, to have time to draw the correct conclusions now," Zaluzhnyi said.

"It's still possible to stop it here, on the territory of Ukraine. But for some reason, our partners do not want to understand this. It's obvious that Ukraine already has too many enemies. Ukraine will survive through technology, but it is unclear whether it can win this battle alone. So I believe that the world war has already begun."

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Olena Goncharova

Head of North America desk

Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.

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