Elon Musk Challenges Putin To Head-Turning Battle For Ukraine
Leave it to Elon Musk to make a pretty bizarre plea to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The world has watched on in horror since February 24, when Russia invaded Ukraine under the orders of Putin. The war has seen a horrendous, ever mounting loss of life since then, with many people across the globe condemning Putin's actions and sending aid to the country.
Many famous Ukrainians have also spoken out for their country, including Mila Kunis, who shared her plans to send millions of dollars to the European nation in an emotional video plea alongside her husband, Ashton Kutcher.
Then there's former "Dancing with the Stars" professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who was in Ukraine's capital city, Kyiv, when the invasion began. Chmerkovksiy has shared multiple glimpses at what it's really like in the country via social media, and has also vowed to return to Europe to aid efforts on the ground after returning home to the U.S.
There's also famous Ukrainian boxers Vladimir Klitschko and Vitali Klitschko, with the latter being the Mayor of Kyiv. The two have both issued stern warnings to Putin and have vowed to fight the Russian army on the streets, while showing the devastation caused by the army in several social media videos.
And it seems like Musk may actually be taking a page out of the Klitschko brothers' book, suggesting one we can't exactly say we were expecting from the businessman.
Elon Musk vs. Vladimir Putin
Elon Musk took to Twitter on March 14 to share a bizarre offer for Vladimir Putin. Musk actually challenged the Russian president to a fight, claiming that whoever wins will get Ukraine.
"I hereby challenge Владимир Путин to single combat," he wrote in his first tweet, written in English and Russian, adding, "Stakes are Україна." Владимир Путин is the Russian spelling for Vladimir Putin, while Україна refers to Ukraine. In a second tweet in the thread, he wrote all in Russian, "Вы согласны на этот бой?" which translates in English to, "Do you agree to this fight?" He then tagged Putin's official Twitter account, @KremlinRussia_E.
After one person questioned if he'd actually thought through his fight request, Musk replied, "I am absolutely serious." Another social media user pointed out Musk could potentially win as he's much younger and taller than the Russian president, two which Musk claimed, "Pretty much."
Musk's comments got some mixed responses on the social media site, though. "You can't bet someone else's country as a stake. It's not yours to give away if you win," one person pointed out, while another responded, "Hey Elon. Please stop trivializing war. People of Ukraine are dying fighting for their land." However, others showed their support for Musk attempting to defend the country and its people and bring attention to the crisis.
Musk had previously showed his support for the people of Ukraine by sending shipments of his Starlink stations to the country after Russian's invasion caused various communication issues.