Ukraine’s former top military leader, Valery Zaluzhny (or Valerii Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi), has made an alarming declaration, claiming that World War III has officially started. In a speech at the Ukrainska Pravda’s UP100 awards ceremony, which rates 100 Ukrainian leaders, Zaluzhny stressed the growing global involvement in the war, which has drawn in military forces from nations like North Korea and Iran.
“I believe that in 2024 we can absolutely believe that the Third World War has begun,” Zaluzhny, who is now serving as Ukraine’s envoy to the United Kingdom, noted to Politico that Ukraine’s struggle has expanded beyond its borders, with North Korean soldiers fighting in Ukraine and Iranian Shahed drones killing civilians. “Let’s be honest,” he said. “Already in Ukraine, the Iranian ‘Shahedis’ are killing civilians absolutely openly, without any shame.”
Zaluzhny added, “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.”
Zaluzhny’s comments align with his earlier remarks in an essay published in The Economist, where he compared the situation in Ukraine to a World War I-like stalemate. His growing influence and criticism of the Ukrainian government eventually led to his dismissal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February 2024.
Despite the controversy surrounding his firing, Zaluzhny is credited for successfully halting Russia’s initial invasion in February 2022.
In the current conflict, reports estimate around one million casualties since February 2022. This includes soldiers and at least 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, among them 551 children, Al Jazeera reported. Civilian casualties hit a record high this summer, with over 3,200 incidents recorded between June and August—a 33 percent rise from last year. Russian civilian deaths remain lower, with sporadic border attacks reported.
