While we're not here to fill your day with doom and gloom, now seems like the right time to discuss the elephant in the room that is World War III. With heads of state, including Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, discussing the idea that we're about to be dragged into an all-out war, some are worried that we're already there.
Alongside Elon Musk apparently wanting to be briefed on America's war plans against China, leaked Signal messages have taken us behind the USA's attack on the Yemeni Houthi rebels, and the Russia-Ukraine war has hit a roadblock since President Trump's explosive White House meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
As for the signs that WWIII is already here, some think we're currently in the midst of a 'shadow war' with Russia.
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The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has accused Russia of piling pressure on the West in an attempt to pull support away from Ukraine. This comes in the form of strikes on transport, infrastructure, and governments across Europe.
According to the top US think tank, Russian attacks are being led by the Russian military intelligence (the GRU) and tripled across Europe between 2023 and 2024.
The CSIS warns: "Despite the increase in Russian attacks, Western countries have not developed an effective strategy to counter these attacks."
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Report author Seth Jones is a former Pentagon official and explained further to Dailymail.com what he thinks is going on: "We're not close to World War III - these actions are designed to intimidate, coerce, deter, and cause fear. They're not causing millions of dollars of damage or large numbers of deaths.
NATO allies are said to be at particular risk. With Canada providing aid to Ukraine and the situation continuing to sour between President Trump and the Great White North, America's ties to Russia could put Canada in the firing line.
Attacks in Europe have so far been linked to an incendiary device that was bound for a cargo plane to North America but exploded in a Germany-based DHL logistics hub, a Russian oil tanker using its anchor to damage a power cable between Finland and Estonia, and multiple European countries reporting GPS signal jamming from Russia.
In December 2024, three German-Russian nationals were charged with spying on US military bases in Germany.
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It's said that 27% of the attacks in Europe were against transportation, while another 27% were aimed at military bases and governmental targets. The rest are taking on the likes of pipelines and industrial targets, as well as defense firms. Typically, these attacks are focused on companies or specific people who have been supporting Ukraine's war effort.
There's a small glimmer of hope that the CSIS claims these covert attacks in Russia's 'shadow war' have reduced in number since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
Jones said that while he appreciates Trump's apparent quest for peace, he questions Russia’s real intentions:
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"I'm not going to hold my breath for the Russians to suddenly change from the malign actor we've seen them as, in instances like sabotage in Europe, to suddenly being a benign one."
He suggests our main concern should be Russia securing victory in Ukraine, which could trigger a global arms race. We already know nuclear weapons will likely be a major factor of any upcoming conflict, with AI predicting the devastating death toll of a potential WWIII.
Considering the Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before and France is reportedly offering out survival guides, talk of WWIII seems to be on the tip of everyone's tongue.