Ukraine’s former military chief has warned that World War III is already underway, with Vladimir Putin’s autocratic allies North Korea, Iran and China openly supporting his forces on the battlefield.
Valery Zaluzhny, now Ukraine’s envoy to Britain, said at the UP100 awards ceremony in Kiev: “I believe that in 2024 we can absolutely believe that World War III has started.”
The general said that from this year onwards, Ukraine will no longer face Russia. Soldiers from North Korea stand in front of Ukraine.’
He made the comments after reports emerged that around 10,000 soldiers had been sent by Pyongyang to fight alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region, as Moscow seeks to replenish its forces and regain territory seized from it three months ago. the land has diminished.
Zaluzhny further highlighted the support Putin’s military had received from Tehran, which has sent thousands of Shahed attack drones to Moscow and also helped the country with the technology to build the drones itself, reports show.
More than 8,000 Iranian-developed drones have been launched since the war began two and a half years ago, Kiev said in September, with many targeting civilian homes as well as military targets.
‘Let’s be honest. In Ukraine, “Iranian ‘Shahedis’ are already killing civilians openly and without any shame,” Zaluzhny said, adding that Chinese and North Korean weapons were also used against his country.
It comes after Moscow’s ambassador to Britain stated that Britain is now “directly involved” in the war following the Storm Shadow attack in Kiev on Russian territory.
A still image from an undated video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense press service on November 22, 2024 shows a Russian T90M tank firing towards Ukrainian positions
Valery Zaluzhny, now Ukraine’s envoy to Britain, said at a ceremony in Kiev: “I believe that in 2024 we can absolutely believe that World War III has started.”
The photo reportedly shows North Korean troops in Russia prior to their frontline deployment
A Ukrainian officer examines a downed Shahed drone with thermobaric payload launched by Russia in a research laboratory at a secret location in Ukraine
Asked whether Britain is “at war”, the Prime Minister told local BBC radio: “We are not at war, but Ukraine certainly is.” Sir Keir slammed Putin’s ‘irresponsible rhetoric’.
“Russia is the aggressor,” he said. “This war could end today if Putin is no longer the aggressor.”
While Russia continues to draw support from its allies in terms of weapons and manpower, Kiev continues to pressure its Western base for military aid.
An attack on Kursk earlier this week is believed to be the first time Ukraine has used Britain’s Storm Shadows to attack Russia, after the US set a precedent authorizing the use of ATACMS long-range missiles against Russian targets.
While the prospects for the war remain bleak, Zaluzhny urged Ukraine’s allies to redouble their support to determine its course.
“It is still possible to stop this here, on the territory of Ukraine,” he said. “But for some reason our partners don’t want to understand this.
‘It is clear 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.
Zaluzhny was ousted as head of Ukraine’s armed forces in February after weeks of rumors that President Volodymyr Zelensky was planning a major shake-up of the military leadership.
Zaluzhny, known as the Iron General, was credited with halting and pushing back Russia’s surprise invasion on February 24, 2022.
Zelensky said Russian leader Vladimir Putin was using Ukraine as a testing ground for weapons
Rescue workers extinguish a fire in a building badly damaged by a Russian attack on Dnipro, Ukraine
His popularity was dampened by the failure of last year’s counter-offensive, and he is said to have fallen out with Zelensky over differing opinions on how to increase the army’s membership as it has struggled to fill its ranks for months.
Zelensky also reportedly took umbrage with an interview Zaluzhny gave to The Economist in which he admitted that the battle had led to a World War I-like stalemate.
The Ukrainian president reportedly feared that such a statement could deter allies from the idea of sending more aid.
He is also said to have viewed Zaluzhny as a potential political rival due to his continued popularity among the armed forces and others.
The now former Commander-in-Chief acknowledged Zelensky’s decision in a short statement, saying: ‘The tasks of 2022 are different from those of 2024. Therefore, everyone must also change and adapt to the new reality. To win together.’
Zaluzhny was replaced by the commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, who reportedly had a close relationship with Zelensky.
The former army chief’s warning comes after British and European leaders yesterday decried a “clear and deeply worrying escalation” of the conflict when Russian forces bombed the city of Dnipro with an advanced hypersonic missile.
Ukraine’s air force initially reported that Russia had deployed an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), with shocking footage showing multiple nuclear warheads raining down over the factories of state aerospace and defense manufacturer Yuzmash.
But Putin later on Thursday said Russia had launched an ‘Oreshnik’, one of its latest intermediate-range missiles.
He said the plane flew ten times the speed of sound, leaving Ukrainian air defenses powerless to shoot it down.
Russian sources said the range was 5,000 km (3,100 mi), allowing Russia to attack most of Europe and the west coast of the United States.
The bombing came a day after Kiev launched British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles at targets in Kursk.
Fragments of the missiles that struck a military facility in the Russian city of Marino were recovered by military bloggers on Wednesday afternoon, with unverified photos shared widely on social media.
The Mail understands the attacks, which followed the firing of US-supplied ATACMS missiles by Ukraine on Tuesday, were personally approved by Sir Keir Starmer.
Russia officially recognized the attacks and said its air defenses shot down two of the projectiles, along with six HIMARS missiles and 67 drones.
Russian military bloggers said 18 Russian and North Korean soldiers were killed and dozens more were injured in that attack, although the Defense Ministry did not comment.
Asked to confirm reports that Storm Shadow had been used by Ukraine, Defense Secretary John Healey said: ‘I am not getting involved in the operational details of the conflict.
“It endangers both operational security and ultimately the only person who benefits from such a public debate: President Putin.”