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Shop NowElon Musk has found himself in a bizarrely lighthearted social media feud with an infamous warlord following his public offer to resolve the Ukraine war through single combat with Vladimir Putin. Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov extended a sarcastic invitation for the billionaire to prepare for the fight in Chechnya, where he will be changed from “gentle (effeminate) Elona into the brutal Elon” he will need to be to defeat Putin.
Elon Musk gets a response to his challenge
Ramzan Kadyrov is one of the most colorful characters in Russia and in the Ukraine war, to which he has sent thousands of his soldiers. Allegedly Kadyrov has even gone to Ukraine to lead them personally.
The tiny nation of Chechnya fought two brutal wars against Russia in its attempts to secede after the fall of the Soviet Union. Putin crushed the Chechens in the second war, but Kadyrov is largely allowed to run the country in exchange for keeping his people in line.
Despite being one of Putin’s most loyal allies and being accused of all manner of human rights abuses, Kadyrov has managed to make himself something of a social media star.
Before his Instagram account was banned his millions of followers frequently saw Kadyrov cuddling with animals, meeting foreign celebrities, and wearing historical costumes.
The invitation for Elon Musk to train for his fight in Chechnya was a joke, but Chechens do love to fight. Kadyrov himself, like Putin, is a martial arts enthusiast.
Chechens also love guns, and they have found their way into almost every war of the 21st century, sometimes on opposing sides; there are still Chechens who hate Russia and seek out opportunities to fight against it.
Kadyrov makes light of Western condemnation
Musk responded to Kadyov’s Telegram post by politely declining the invitation, saying that it would give him an unfair advantage over Putin.
He also changed his name on Twitter to Elona, seemingly very amused by the interaction. The Russian president himself has not responded to the public challenge.
Putin has been stripped of his black belt by World Taekwondo, likely one of the few personal sanctions that has actually irked him given his love for martial arts.
Putin has not responded to this or to the challenge from Musk, but Kadyrov has been cheerfully replying to Western condemnations while his troops advance in Ukraine.
Boris Johnson was sarcastically informed that all of his assets in Chechen banks would be frozen and the country’s airspace would be closed to British planes until the United Kingdom agreed to disavow the “vile” practice of left-hand driving before February 31st.
These posts are all obviously jokes, but Kadyrov’s loyalty to Putin is very serious. If Elon Musk continues to weigh in on the Ukraine war we can expect more of this surreal banter between the billionaire and the Chechen ruler.
