Quote Originally Posted by oldboy
...It was so far that I thought that the preposition 'by' in '...and millions were affected in what the World...' designated the agent!
So is the preposition 'in' in '...and millions were affected in what the World...' the preposition of the time? That is 'in' = во время/в течении?!
Have no fear! Your understanding was correct. By = In = designating the agent. During = во время.


Sorry, I shouldn't have made it more complicated. I only meant that "during" is the only other preposition that can be used there and still mean approximately the same thing.

Unless someone else wants to offer an opinion or better explanation? Explaining repositions is hard!