World War III: Difference between revisions

On 24 February 2022, Russia's president [[Vladimir Putin]] ordered a full-scale invasion of [[Ukraine]], marking a major escalation of the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]], which began in 2014. The invasion has been described as the largest military conflict in Europe since World War&nbsp;II.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Karmanau |first1=Yuras |last2=Heintz |first2=Jim |last3=Isachenkov |first3=Vladimir |last4=Litvinova |first4=Dasha |others=Photograph by [[Evgeniy Maloletka]] (AP Photo) |date=24 February 2022 |title=Russia presses invasion to outskirts of Ukrainian capital |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |publisher=[[American Broadcasting Company]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |location=[[Kyiv]] |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russia-attacks-ukraine-defiant-putin-warns-us-nato-83078619 |url-status=live |access-date=26 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225182137/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russia-attacks-ukraine-defiant-putin-warns-us-nato-83078619 |archive-date=25 February 2022 |quote=[a]mounts to the largest ground war in Europe since World War II.}}</ref> The invasion received widespread [[Government and intergovernmental reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine|international condemnation]], including new [[International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War|sanctions imposed on Russia]], which notably included Russia's ban from [[SWIFT]] and the closing of most Western airspace to Russian planes.<ref>{{cite news |date=27 February 2022 |title=Ukraine invasion: Russian planes face near-total airspace ban to west |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60539303 |access-date=27 February 2022 |archive-date=26 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226211717/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60539303 |url-status=live }}</ref> Moreover, both prior to and during the invasion, some of the 32 [[member states of NATO]] have been providing Ukraine with arms and other [[materiel]] support.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia warns of World War III ahead of Western summit on arms to Ukraine |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3175501/ukraine-invasion-russias-foreign-minister-sergey |work=South China Morning Post |date=26 April 2022 |access-date=5 May 2022 |archive-date=5 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505103450/https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3175501/ukraine-invasion-russias-foreign-minister-sergey |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Biden requests $33 billion for Ukraine fight as Congress passes 'lend-lease' arms authorization |url=https://theweek.com/nancy-pelosi/1013137/nancy-pelosi-meets-with-zelensky-in-kyiv |work=The Week |date=29 April 2022 |access-date=5 May 2022 |archive-date=5 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505103451/https://theweek.com/nancy-pelosi/1013137/nancy-pelosi-meets-with-zelensky-in-kyiv |url-status=live }}</ref> Throughout the invasion, several senior Russian politicians, including president Putin, foreign minister [[Sergey Lavrov]] and [[United Russia]] party leader [[Dmitry Medvedev]], have made a number of statements widely seen as threatening the use of nuclear weapons,<ref>{{cite news |title=Putin's threat rekindles Cold War fears of nuclear war |publisher=[[PBS]] |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/putin-waves-nuclear-sword-in-confrontation-with-the-west |url-status=live |access-date=27 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227183156/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/putin-waves-nuclear-sword-in-confrontation-with-the-west |archive-date=27 February 2022 |quote=As for military affairs, even after the dissolution of the USSR and losing a considerable part of its capabilities, today's Russia remains one of the most powerful nuclear states. ... Moreover, it has a certain advantage in several cutting-edge weapons. In this context, there should be no doubt for anyone that any potential aggressor will face defeat and ominous consequences should it directly attack our country.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Defiant Putin goes to war in Ukraine with a warning for U.S., NATO |publisher=[[NBC News]] |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-ukraine-invasion-putin-war-warning-us-nato-rcna17497 |url-status=live |access-date=27 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227183152/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-ukraine-invasion-putin-war-warning-us-nato-rcna17497 |archive-date=27 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sauer |first=Pjotr |date=2022-09-21 |title=Putin announces partial mobilisation and threatens nuclear retaliation in escalation of Ukraine war |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/21/putin-announces-partial-mobilisation-in-russia-in-escalation-of-ukraine-war |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=The Guardian |language=en |archive-date=14 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114202406/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/21/putin-announces-partial-mobilisation-in-russia-in-escalation-of-ukraine-war |url-status=live }}</ref> while several officials from the United States and NATO, including US president [[Joe Biden]] and NATO secretary general [[Jens Stoltenberg]], have made statements reaffirming NATO's response in the event that Russia attacks any NATO member state or uses nuclear weapons, while also reiterating the need to prevent the crisis from escalating into a potential third world war.<ref>{{cite web |date=28 February 2022 |title=Biden says Americans should not worry about nuclear war after Russian actions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/27/us/politics/putin-nuclear-alert-biden-deescalation.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228011550/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/27/us/politics/putin-nuclear-alert-biden-deescalation.html |archive-date=28 February 2022 |access-date=28 February 2022 |website=[[Reuters]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Samuels |first1=Brett |date=11 March 2022 |title=Biden: Direct conflict between NATO and Russia would be 'World War III' |url=https://thehill.com/policy/international/597842-biden-direct-conflict-between-nato-and-russia-would-be-world-war-iii |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325032254/https://thehill.com/policy/international/597842-biden-direct-conflict-between-nato-and-russia-would-be-world-war-iii |archive-date=25 March 2022 |access-date=11 March 2022 |website=The Hill}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Khaled |first=Fatma |date=13 March 2022 |title=Russia Hitting NATO Even Accidentally Will Spur 'Full' Response: Sullivan |work=[[Newsweek]] |url=https://www.newsweek.com/russia-hitting-nato-even-accidentally-will-spur-full-response-sullivan-1687559 |access-date=5 May 2022 |archive-date=12 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230912152512/https://www.newsweek.com/russia-hitting-nato-even-accidentally-will-spur-full-response-sullivan-1687559 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-21 |title=Biden denounces Putin's 'overt' nuclear threats, urges UN allies to reject Russia's invasion of Ukraine |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/21/biden-denounces-putins-overt-nuclear-threats-urges-un-allies-to-reject-russias-invasion-of-ukraine.html |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=CNBC |language=en |archive-date=21 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921194052/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/21/biden-denounces-putins-overt-nuclear-threats-urges-un-allies-to-reject-russias-invasion-of-ukraine.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A number of incidents seen as a close call to an open conflict between Russia and NATO have since occurred, most notably [[2022 missile explosion in Poland|a missile strike]] on the Polish village of [[Przewodów]] near the border with Ukraine in November 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-15 |title=Explosion kills two in Poland near Ukraine border, with US claiming Russia may not be responsible |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-16/explosion-kills-two-in-poland-near-ukraine-border/101658264 |access-date=2022-11-15 |archive-date=15 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115195021/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-16/explosion-kills-two-in-poland-near-ukraine-border/101658264 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-15 |title=Wybuch w miejscowości Przewodów. Nie żyją dwie osoby |trans-title=Explosion in Przewodów. Two people are dead |language=pl-PL |work=Radio Lublin |url=https://radio.lublin.pl/2022/11/wybuch-ciagnika-w-miejscowosci-przewodow-nie-zyja-dwie-osoby/ |access-date=2022-11-15 |archive-date=15 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115233613/https://radio.lublin.pl/2022/11/wybuch-ciagnika-w-miejscowosci-przewodow-nie-zyja-dwie-osoby/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":0b">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-15 |title=Polish PM convenes 'urgent' meeting of defense committee |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |url=https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-722483 |access-date=2022-11-15 |archive-date=15 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115184400/https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-722483 |url-status=live }}</ref> In early 2023, Putin suspended Russia's participation in [[New START]], the last remaining nuclear treaty between Russia and the US,<ref>{{cite news |date=21 February 2023 |title=Putin: Russia suspends participation in last remaining Nuclear Treaty with the US |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-russia-suspends-participation-last-remaining-nuclear-treaty-with-us-2023-02-21/ |access-date=18 March 2023 |archive-date=15 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315162729/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-russia-suspends-participation-last-remaining-nuclear-treaty-with-us-2023-02-21/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and later announced plans to install Russian tactical nuclear weapons in [[Belarus]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Chen |first1=Heather |last2=Humayun |first2=Hira |last3=Knight |first3=Mariya |last4=Carey |first4=Andrew |last5=Gigova |first5=Radina |last6=Kostenko |first6=Maria |date=2023-03-26 |title=Russia plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Putin says |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/25/world/russia-putin-nuclear-weapons-belarus-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2023-03-31 |website=CNN |archive-date=31 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331052514/https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/25/world/russia-putin-nuclear-weapons-belarus-intl-hnk/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>