Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Elon Musk, Russia, Vladimir Putin
Poppy Bilderbeck
SpaceX founder Elon Musk has revealed a name change on Twitter amid his ongoing quest to battle Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Musk took to the platform to challenge Putin to single combat with the stakes being Ukraine.
After the head of Russia's space agency Dmitry Rogozin got involved, the world's current richest man even decided to add some wild terms to the offer, such as allowing Putin to 'bring [his] bear'.
However, Russian ally and infamous dictator Ramzan Kadyrov has similarly thrown himself into the mix, who has warned Musk that Putin will 'beat [...] the hell out of you'.
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In response to the threat of physical violence, Musk chose the power of humour and has since changed his Twitter name.
Since becoming the Head of the Chechen Republic in 2007, Kadyrov has been accused of kidnapping citizens, journalists and even government officials - which has similarly been reported as occurring in Ukraine - alongside being accused of homophobic hate crimes, NZ Herald reports.
Chechen paramilitary troops have also taken part in the push to capture Kyiv and have been accused of war crimes.
In response to Musk's challenging of Putin, Kadyrov took to Telegram to offer Musk 'a word of advice'.
He wrote: '[Translation] Don't measure strength against that of Putin's. Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin's middle name) will look unsportsmanlike when he beats the hell out of you, a much weaker opponent.'
Telling the Tesla CEO that he would 'need to pump those muscles in order to change from the gentle (effeminate) Elona into the brutal Elon you need to be'.
Kadyrov went on to suggest a series of training sessions in the Chechen Republic for Musk to prepare for his fight with Putin.
He concluded by dubbing Musk as 'Elona' once more.
He said: 'You will return from the Chechen Republic a completely different person Elona, that is, Elon.'
And in classic Musk fashion, for his clap back against the Head of the Chechen Republic, the world's current richest man joined the war on words, choosing simplicity and humour by changing his Twitter name to - you guessed it - Elona.
In a later tweet, Musk also responded to Kadyrov's offer of training.
He wrote: 'Thank you for the offer, but such excellent training would give me too much of an advantage.
'If he is afraid to fight, I will agree to use only my left hand and I am not even left-handed.
'Elona.'
Move over WWE, Putin vs Musk is a fight we want to see.
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