Ukraine President Says World War III 'May Have Already Started'
By Jason Hall
March 17, 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia "may have already started" World War III amid its ongoing invasion of the neighboring Eastern European country.
President Zelenskyy spoke to NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt on Wednesday (March 16) and addressed whether he understood President Joe Biden's concerns over escalating tensions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his troops.
"Nobody knows whether it may have already started. And what is the possibility of this war if Ukraine will fall, in case Ukraine will? It's very hard to say," Zelenskyy said. "And we've seen this 80 years ago, when the Second World War had started ... nobody would be able to predict when the full-scale war would start."
Zelenskyy emphasized that the outcome of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine puts the "whole civilization at stake" and said his country's people were "unconquerable."
Earlier this month, NBC News reported on more than 2 million people had evacuated Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing invasion of the neighboring country.
Putin announced his country would conduct military operations in Eastern Ukraine during an NBC News translation of a speech addressing the Russian population prior to sunrise on February 24 in Moscow.
The announcement served as the final action ahead of an attack by Putin and the Russian military, which the U.S. and European allies to the neighboring Ukraine have attempted to prevent from taking place through diplomatic discussions.
A Ukraine interior minister confirmed to NBC News via text message that "cruise and ballistic missile strikes" were already underway shortly after Putin's announcement.
NBC News correspondent Erin McLaughlin said explosions could be heard from her live shot in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital city, at 6:00 a.m. local time.
More than 1,000 protesters were reportedly arrested during anti-war protests throughout Russia amid President Putin's announcement to conduct military operations and ensuing attack on Ukraine, BNO News reported.