Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev is warning that if the Ukraine crisis transforms into World War 3, then it may be unavoidable that Vladimir Putin may launch a Russian nuclear war.

In a related report by the Inquisitr, when the U.S. Congress passed the Ukraine Freedom Support Act, it authorized President Obama to give Ukraine lethal aid and military support. Based upon the date of the signing of the law, the Obama administration has until February 16, 2015 to provide details for how this military action will be enacted.

In addition, some predictions for 2015 claim a confrontation over Arctic oil, not the Ukraine crisis, could trigger World War 3. Vladimir Putin has also set the stage for a new World War by officially declaring that both NATO and the United States are the top threats to Russia.

In an interview with the German news magazine Der Spiegel, Mikhail Gorbachev claimed the recent NATO expansion in response to the Ukraine crisis represented large change in direction for Western powers.

“The expansion of the bloc in the east [of Europe] has destroyed the European security order which was written in the Helsinki Final Act of 1975,” Gorbachev claimed. “[NATO’s expansion is] a 180-degree turn drawing us away from the Paris Charter of 1990, which was made together with all European states to finally leave the Cold War in the past.”

According to the United Nations, the Ukraine war has already injured 9,921 people and killed approximately 4,317. After the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, NATO is seeking a more cooperative and constructive relationship with Vladimir Putin’s government, but Gorbachev believes the Ukraine crisis could still lead to nuclear war.

“A war of this kind would unavoidably lead to a nuclear war. Anyway, declarations and propaganda from both sides make me fear the worst,” Gorbachev said. “We won’t survive the coming years if someone loses their nerve in this overheated situation. This is not something I’m saying thoughtlessly. I am extremely concerned.”

The Obama administration has mostly responded Russian advances in Ukraine by imposing multiple rounds of economic sanctions against Russia. With the recent fall of oil prices, the value of the Russian currency has plummeted, and some believe Vladimir Putin could only afford to interfere in Ukraine when oil prices were higher. But Gorbachev believes that economic sanctions hurt the United States and Europe as much as Russia, and claims that excluding Russia from the G8 was wrong.

“It reminds me of blood revenge and leads nowhere. Sanctions are not the suitable instrument in case we want to save our model relations,” he said, calling for a “defrosting” of relations between the Russia and Western powers.

He also condemned German politicians, saying, “During the Second World War, Germany tried to extend its sphere of influence eastwards. What other lessons do we need?”

What do you think about Mikhail Gorbachev’s warning that a nuclear World War 3 could be triggered by events in Ukraine?