Ukraine's Former Top Military Commander Claims 'World War 3 Has Officially Begun'

Former military Commander-in-Chief and Ukraine’s current ambassador to the UK, Valery Zaluzhny, has warned that World War Three is already underway in a recent interview published by Politico.

"I believe that in 2024 we can absolutely believe that the Third World War has begun," he said. He referenced the greater internationalization of the war with the presence of North Korean troops, and Iranian technology on the battlefield, as well as Chinese support to Moscow.

"It is obvious that Ukraine already has too many enemies. Ukraine will survive with technology, but it is not clear whether it can win this battle alone," he explained, also on the heels of Western allies approving Kiev's long-range strikes against Russian territory with US, UK, and French missiles.

Zaluzhny claimed in the interview that Chinese weapons are being injected into the conflict alongside Iranian and North Korean arms. "Because in 2024, Ukraine is no longer facing Russia. Soldiers from North Korea are standing in front of Ukraine. Let's be honest. Already in Ukraine, the Iranian 'Shahedis' are killing civilians absolutely openly, without any shame."

"It is still possible to stop it here, on the territory of Ukraine. But for some reason our partners do not want to understand this. It is obvious that Ukraine already has too many enemies. Ukraine will survive with technology, but it is not clear whether it can win this battle alone," he said.

But it's certainly not merely the Russian side which has had outside assistance. The West's support to Ukraine has been much more direct, including billions of dollars in weaponry. F-16 fighter jets, anti-air systems, and medium and long-range missiles have been given to Ukraine, along with training for all of these systems.

Western advisers have without doubt also long been on the ground assisting Ukrainian intelligence and military officers. Moscow has cited all of this as what's driving escalation.

Meanwhile, Rob Magowan, the deputy chief of the British defense staff, told the House of Commons defense committee last week, "If the British Army was asked to fight tonight, it would fight tonight."

He added, "I don't think anybody in this room should be under any illusion that if the Russians invaded Eastern Europe tonight, then we would meet them in that fight."

At the same time Washington has also been escalating, seeking to send as much in the way of arms and money to Kiev as the Biden administration can before Trump takes office on Jan.20. Critics have blasted this as reckless and an obvious recipe for runaway escalation.

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The Economist in a recent piece is essentially calling it, saying things are looking nearly impossible for Ukraine's chances on the battlefield...