I have heard that since WW2 there have been ~140 armed conflicts in the world. Only few of them have been full-fledged wars, let alone big ones. However, as I don't know almost anything about wars and the politics around them, I cannot really formulate why this war is particularly dangerous and prone to start WW3. This one is specially frightening for me because it is very close by --I'm European--, but this does not make it more prone to e.g. start WW3.
I have thought of few factors (location, countries involved / potentially involved, possession of nuclear weapons...) but the war in Ukraine does not seem to be too special in any of them. Is it maybe the combination of factors what it makes it particularly dangerous? As many may, like me, not be too versed in geopolitics/geostrategy, I think it would be useful to compile a list of key factors setting this war aside from all the other wars the world has endured since WW2 and making it particularly dangerous for the whole world.
If everyone acts rationally, the result will be Ukraine growing closer to the EU, Russia becoming more isolated, and no WW3. But Russia isn't acting rationally, I'm losing count of distinct stupid things it has done since Feb 21. Extrapolating that stupidity into the future makes me think that WW3 is quite possible.
I don't know about Austria, but I was reading recently an article about Finland's neutrality, by a Finish author, which explained that "neutral" had for a long time meant "nothing should appear in the media that might anger the USSR". Which is not exactly "nothing bad".