Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder, Elon Musk has challenged Russian President, Vladimir Putin to single combat.
Gatekeepers News reports that Musk on Monday tweeted “I hereby challenge Владимир Путин (Putin’s Russian name) to single combat.”
He added, “Stakes are Україна,” using the Ukrainian spelling for Ukraine.
In Cyrillic script and tagging the Kremlin’s official account, Musk asked, “Do you agree to this fight?”
Musk’s tweet prompted a nearly immediate response from the head of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, who has traded wars of words with Musk in the past.
“You, little devil, are still young,” Dmitry Rogozin, director general of Roscosmos since 2018, wrote. “Compete with me weakling; It would only be a waste of time. Overtake my brother first.”
Rogozin then cited the 17th fairytale by Russian poet A. S. Pushkin titled “The Tale of the Priest and of His Workman Balda.” The story is about a lazy Russian orthodox priest who elects a simpleton as a cheap laborer, who then ends up outsmarting his master and driving him crazy in the end.
Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov chimed in: “I am sure that @elonmusk can send Putin to Jupiter.”
Gatekeepers News reports that Fedorov has been running a fundraiser to launch Putin into space for weeks, saying the proceeds would go to repairing damaged Ukrainian infrastructure.
In February, the SpaceX boss activated the company’s Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine after the Russian invasion disrupted internet services.
Fedorov was the first to tweet at Musk that “while you try to colonize Mars — Russia try [tries] to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space — Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people! We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations and to address sane Russians to stand.”
Musk, in response, tweeted: “Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route.”
