Young people share world war fears as Russia makes nuclear threats over Ukraine

Young people fear a world war is imminent amidst the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Furvah Shah reports

Protests against the Russian invasion of Ukraine have taken place in cities around the globe. (AP)

More than two thirds of young people aged between 18 and 34 fear the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could quickly spiral into a world war.

As Vladimir Putin puts Russia’s nuclear weapons forces on high alert and over two million Ukrainians leave the country and become refugees, young people in Europe say they fear for their futures amidst the warfare.

Around 76 per cent of young people believe the current war is the start of a wider, global conflict and a further 78 per cent said the fighting made them anxious for the future, according to a survey by Pubity.

Boryana Chobanova, 23, a student from Bulgaria, says the conflict brought her fear and worry due to her home country being so nearby.

She said: “At first, I didn’t have enough knowledge about the tension between the two countries. However, due to posts on social media and my own research, I managed to learn more about the conflict which made me feel even more anxious and scared about what is happening.

“I do worry that nearby countries could potentially get involved in the war. As a Bulgarian, I am concerned about my home country’s safety,” she said. “I am also worried about the way our government is responding to the current events as they are trying to keep a neutral position which, in my opinion, doesn’t make Bulgarians feel safe.”

“As a young person with dreams and hopes for my future, I find it difficult to imagine being forced to fight for your own country with high chances of losing your life,” said Boryana.

Kate Derkach, 34, a PR manager and her sister, Daria Orlova, 30, a police officer are both from Kyiv, Ukraine and recall the moment they heard about the invasion of their country.

Kate said: “Me and my family woke up from the call – “a war started. Kyiv is under attack!” None of us believed this was possible in a peaceful country which had never attacked others.

“Since then, we’ve spent 13 days spent in hell in Ukraine, experiencing sirens from hour to hour, hiding in bomb shelters and escaping from Russian tanks. It’s made Ukrainians feel like heroes of an apocalyptic movie.”

Kate said: “I have worries not just as a young person, but as a mother of two kids, as a wife, as a sister, a daughter of aged parents and a granddaughter of my grandparents. I worry for my family. I worry for all the people in my country.”

On Sunday, Mr Putin instructed his defence minister and chief of general staff to put the country’s nuclear weapons on a “special regime of combat duty,” prompting fears of a nuclear attack that could quickly escalate.

On the possibility of nuclear violence and a subsequent world war, Kate feels it is likely. She said: “I do fear this war can become a World War III because Putin is out of his mind. He feels that the world stands for Ukraine and democracy, stands against Russia, and he understands there is no way back. He lost this war already, but he still has his red nuclear button and threatens the whole world with it.”

Her sister, Daria, agreed. She said: “I think if the World War III takes place, it won’t be long. I believe that all the countries worldwide will unite and push back against Russia.”

The survey also found that over half of respondents (56 per cent) said they would fight for their country if it was invaded by a hostile power, which Daria resonated with.

She said: “When it comes to the war, a threat to your territory, to your people, to your home and family – you take a Molotov cocktail and go defend your home and your family. ”

According to to the UN, over two million Ukrainians have left their country and become refugees in locations such as Poland, Romania and Germany prompting worries that this will be on of Europe’s worst humanitarian crises since World War Two.

Destiny Boka-Batesa, 18, a student from London said how strange she finds it to experience a war and humanitarian crisis through social media.

She said: “We are watching a war through the lens of social media which I think is quite scary in itself - there’s an added layer of indifference that further divorces us from any sort of empathy towards those that need our help because we can make meaningless jokes and scroll away. It’s quite scary.”

Chad Teixeira, 26, a CEO from London worries for the future amidst the war. He said: “I worry that we haven’t learnt from past mistakes as a society and that my future and the future of so many young people will be a repeat of the awful events that have taken place in the past. That scares me.”

He also felt particularly concern for those from minority communities. He said: “Russia’s view on LGBTQ+ rights is menacing and young people are suffering under this invasion. I worry things will only get worse and that the best years of people my own age are being stolen from them.”

On what her current feelings for her country, Kate said: “As a mother of two kids aged four and 11, it pains to see that during this war, 41 kids have died. From bomb fragments, from dehydration, trying to escape while the evacuation took place.” She said: “We ask NATO and beg the whole world to close the sky over Ukraine to save us and our kids.”

On the survey, Kit Chilvers, founder of Pubity Group said: “This study shows that young people are anxious for the future but also realists when it comes to war and what that means for all of us.”

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