George Soros, a seasoned philanthropist and former financier, has warned that Russia's invasion of Ukraine might be the "beginning of the third world war" that could lead to the end of humanity.
Soros warned at the World Economic Forum in Davos that autocratic regimes were surging and the world economy was on the verge of a recession.
Soros, who has become a symbol of loathing for the extreme right in the U.S., has criticized former German chancellor Angela Merkel for her relationship with Moscow and Beijing.
Due to the crisis in Ukraine, the tone in Davos was already dark, but Soros amplified the gloomy rhetoric to unprecedented heights.
"Our civilization may not survive it," he warned.
The invasion of Ukraine was not a complete surprise. The globe has become increasingly involved in a conflict between two radically opposed forms of government: open society and closed society, Soros said.
In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001, the 91-year-old former hedge fund manager stated that the tide had begun to turn against free societies.
China and Russia currently pose the greatest threat to an open society, according to the billionaire.
Soros, who spearheaded the speculative financial onslaught that pushed the pound out of the European currency rate mechanism 30 years ago, stated that Europe's response to the crisis precipitated by Russia's invasion had been effective.
"It will take a considerable amount of time to iron out the issues, but Europe appears to be headed in the right path. It responded to the invasion of Ukraine with greater speed, cohesion, and determination than ever before in its history," he said.
Soros pointed out that Putin secured Xi's approval for the invasion of Russia at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in early February. He argued, however, that the Chinese leader was not as powerful as he assumed.
"Xi conceals a shameful secret. He never informed the Chinese that they had been immunized with a vaccine that was designed for the initial Wuhan strain and provides minimal protection against new strains," he said.
Soros also said that Xi was unable to "come clean" since his career was in a precarious state. His second term in office expires in the fall of 2022, and he hopes to be chosen to an extraordinary third term, making him eventually "the dictator for life," he said.
