Valery Zaluzhny, the former military Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine, believes that World War 3 has begun. He was ousted earlier this year because of growing tensions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The role was then taken over by General Oleksandr Syrskyi, reportedly for his closer alignment with the president. Zaluzhny’s latest warning is critical given that he was credited for halting the initial Russian invasion in 2022. He claims the war has been taken on a global scale with the direct involvement of Russian allies in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s ex-top commander Valery Zaluzhny explains why World War 3 has started
As per Politico, Valery Zaluzhny, who now serves as Ukraine’s envoy to the United Kingdom, spoke during a speech at Ukrainska Pravda’s UP100 award ceremony. The former military Commander-in-Chief said, “I believe that in 2024 we can absolutely believe that the Third World War has begun.”
Zaluzhny explained that Ukraine is currently not only facing the Russian military but also the North Korean soldiers. He added, “Already in Ukraine, the Iranian ‘Shahedis’ are killing civilians absolutely openly, without any shame.” He further said the country is being attacked with North Korean and Chinese weapons.
Zaluzhny also urged the nation’s allies to respond and said, “It is still possible to stop it here, on the territory of Ukraine.” However, he claimed their partners “do not want to understand this.” Zaluzhny noted the nation “already has too many enemies.” He further stated, “Ukraine will survive with technology, but it is not clear whether it can win this battle alone.”
Valery Zaluzhny’s statement comes as the war saw an escalation this week. According to the New York Post, Russian President Vladimir Putin shared an announcement via an unscheduled televised address to the nation. He said Russia sent a hypersonic missile called Oreshnik to strike a facility in Dnipro. This was done in response to Kyiv’s recent use of British and American missiles to attack Russian territory. Putin also threatened to use it against nations supplying missiles to Ukraine.
