George Soros warns Russia's invasion of Ukraine could lead to World War III and even civilization's demise

• George Soros warned Russia's invasion of Ukraine could lead to World War III and civilization's demise.
• Global problems like climate change have been forced to take a backseat due to Russia's war on Ukraine, he told the World Economic Forum.

Hedge fund billionaire George Soros warned Tuesday that Russia's invasion of Ukraine could lead to the beginning of World War III and civilization's demise.

During a dinner at the World Economic Forum, he said even once the fighting in Ukraine stops, the situation won't revert back to its prewar status.

"Indeed, the Russian invasion may turn out to be the beginning of World War III, and our civilization may not survive it," Soros said.

The philanthropist and donor to liberal political causes warned other global problems like climate change have been forced to take a backseat due to Russia's war on Ukraine.

"The experts tell us that we have already fallen far behind, and climate change is on the verge of becoming irreversible. That could be the end of our civilization," he said.

The best way to save civilization is for the world to mobilize its resources to defeat Russian President Vladimir Putin, Soros added.

Meanwhile, he also warned China could trigger a global depression, explaining that the government's strict COVID lockdowns have put the world's second biggest economy into free fall.

"Coming on top of the real-estate crisis, the damage will be so great that it will affect the global economy. With the disruption of supply chains, global inflation is liable to turn into global depression," he said.