(Image source from: REUTERS)

Valery Zarzheny, the former commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, believes that World War III is underway, adding that the direct involvement of Russian allies in this conflict also shows the same problem. “I firmly believe that in 2024 one can consider that World War III has begun,” Zarzhyny said in his speech at the UP100 Ukraine awards ceremony. Zerzhiny, who currently serves as Ukraine's special envoy to Britain, pointed out that the direct involvement of Russia's authoritarian allies was a key factor in the war's global spread. He continued: “North Korean soldiers are facing Ukraine. Let's be honest. Iranian “martyrs” openly and without shame kill civilians.” on the war Mr Zarzheni called on Ukraine's allies to take decisive action and prevent the conflict from spreading beyond the country's borders. “It is still possible to stop it here on Ukrainian soil. But for some reason our partners don't want to understand this. It is clear that Ukraine has many enemies,” he warned.

His comments come amid reports that the Russian government has deployed more than 10,000 North Korean troops in the Kursk region and is using Iranian drones and other advanced weapons against Ukraine. “Ukraine will survive with technology, but it is not clear whether it can win this battle alone,” Zerzheny said. His speech also came as Russia fired hypersonic missiles at Dnipro, an attack that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned as a sharp escalation of tensions. “This is a clear and serious escalation of the scale and brutality of this war,” Zelensky said. Despite his fall from power earlier this year, Valery Zarzheni remains an important voice in Ukraine's military and political discourse. He was once praised for foiling Russia's first attack in February 2022, but tensions with President Zelensky led to his downfall. He was replaced by General Aleksandr Shiroshki, ostensibly to better align with Zelensky's strategy.