Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Technology
Edd Dracott

Tesla boss Elon Musk challenges Vladimir Putin to ‘single combat’ for Ukraine

PA Archive

Billionaire Elon Musk has challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “single combat”, with the “stakes” being Ukraine.

With Mr Putin’s name written in Russian and Ukraine written in Ukrainian, the Tesla chief executive tweeted: “I hereby challenge (Vladimir Putin) to single combat.

“Stakes are (Ukraine).”

Mr Musk tagged the Kremlin in a follow-up tweet.

“Do you agree to this fight?” he asked in Russian.

Mr Musk’s challenge to Mr Putin is one of several posts he has shared on the war in Ukraine.

A video shared on March 5 showed him speaking directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The same day, he tweeted: “Hold strong Ukraine.”

He added: “And also my sympathies to the great people of Russia, who do not want this.”

Following Russia’s invasion on February 24, Mr Musk gave Ukraine access to SpaceX’s satellite-internet system Starlink – a system of some 2,000 satellites designed to bring web access to underserved areas of the world.

Mr Zelensky thanked Mr Musk for that support, tweeting: “I’m grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.