Elon Musk warns Russian airstrikes could target Starlink satellites in Ukraine
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Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk wrote to his 77.7 million Twitter followers on Monday that he was challenging Russian President Vladimir Putin to single combat and wagering Ukraine.
"I hereby challenge Владимир Путин to single combat," Musk wrote, using Putin’s Russian name.
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?"
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The 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."
Fedorov has been running a fundraiser to launch Putin into space for weeks, saying the proceeds would go to repairing damaged Ukrainian infrastructure.
The fourth round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian dignitaries were underway Monday since Putin first launched an invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Since early in the war, Musk has been sending shipments of SpaceX Starlink terminals meant to alleviate internet disruptions Ukraine was experiencing amid Russian shelling and cyberattacks.
In a historic twist on war after the advent of social media, it was Fedorov who on Feb. 26 first tweeted at Musk, writing 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."