(REUTERS)
It has been just over two weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine on the 24 February. Aircraft factories and nuclear power plants have been attacked by Russian forces, with numerous deaths of civilians and soldiers, and reports from Vladimir Putin’s allies that the war is not going according to plan.
While fighting continues on the ground, there is a similar battle happening online. Russia recently banned Facebook and Instagram from the country, other giants have been pulling software, hardware, and services, and cyberattacks are being launched on both sides.
Today, SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk levied a strange challenge to Mr Putin: a fight.
“I hereby challenge Vladimir Putin to single combat,” he tweeted, using the Russian alphabet to write Mr Putin’s name. “Stakes are Ukraine,” he continued, despite having no authority to strike such a bizarre deal.
Starlink could reveal Ukrainian targets to Russia
“Important warning: Starlink is the only non-Russian communications system still working in some parts of Ukraine, so probability of being targeted is high,” Mr Musk tweeted on Friday. “Please use with caution,” he added.
Adam Smith14 March 2022 14:16
Elon Musk challenges Vladimir Putin to a fight for Ukraine
“I hereby challenge Vladimir Putin to single combat,” he tweeted, using the Russian alphabet to write Mr Putin’s name.
“Stakes are Ukraine,” he continued, writing the country’s name in its own language.
In a follow-up tweet, Mr Musk then posted a whole message in Russian. “Do you agree to this fight?”, he wrote, tagging the Kremlin’s official English language Twitter account.
Mr Musk then replied to another Twitter user who suggested that the Russian president would easily win any fight.
“If Putin could so easily humiliate the west, then he would accept the challenge,” Mr Musk wrote. “But he will not.”
Adam Smith14 March 2022 14:08
Hello and welcome…
… to The Independent’s live coverage of the ongoing fallout of Russian’s invasion of Ukraine for the tech industry.
Andrew Griffin14 March 2022 14:06
