‘Perhaps he really is our agent’: Russian state TV celebrates Elon Musk as ‘Elon the Muscovite’ after he posted Ukraine War meme mocking Zelensky
- Russian State TV has praised ‘wonderful’ Elon Musk after the tech billionaire posted an unflattering meme ridiculing Volodymr Zelensky
- The meme mocked the Ukrainian leader’s efforts to secure foreign aid
- It comes as the future of US aid to Kyiv hangs in the balance following the US congressional bill passed to avoid a shutdown that omitted aid to Ukraine
Russian State television has hailed Elon Musk as a ‘Muscovite’ and suggested he ‘really is our agent’ after the billionaire posted a meme ridiculing Volodymr Zelensky.
The meme, posted to Musk’s X social media site, showed a manipulated image of the Ukrainian leader with a strained face and the caption: ‘When it’s been 5 minutes and you haven’t asked for a billion dollars in aid’.
The photoshopped image, mocking Zelensky’s pleas for wartime assistance as the future of US aid to Kyiv hangs in the balance, is likely to escalate Musk’s feud with Ukraine.
The action won accolades from Russia however, with state TV presenter Olga Skabeyeva describing the tech mogul as ‘Elon the Muscovite’ on Russia-1 on Monday.
‘Elon Musk is magnificent, he is wonderful and perhaps he really is our agent,’ she said while discussing war ‘fatigue’ in the US following the US congressional bill passed to avoid a shutdown that omitted aid to Ukraine.
Elon Musk escalated his feud with Ukraine with a tweet (pictured) mocking the country’s president Volodymyr Zelensky for his pleas for wartime assistance
Russia state TV presenter Olga Skabeyeva (pictured) describing the tech mogul as ‘Elon the Muscovite’ on Russia-1 on Monday
‘Only recently, it was impossible to even imagine anything like this,’ she said.
‘Unless something changes in the next 45 days, the United States will certainly stop helping’ Kyiv, added Skabeyeva, describing Ukraine as ‘a walking corpse.’
‘Elon Musk is magnificent he is wonderful. Perhaps Elon Musk really is our agent’ Skabeyeva told her audience.
Musk, who owns Space X which is providing Starlink satellite communication services that are vital for Ukraine’s defense effort, has increasingly angered Kyiv with seemingly anti-Ukraine actions and rhetoric.
Ukrainian officials criticised Musk earlier in the war for suggesting that they should consider giving up land for peace, a position that Kyiv has staunchly rejected.
On its official page on X, Ukraine’s parliament accused Musk of spreading Russian propaganda, posting its own version of the ‘strained face’ meme with a picture of Musk and the caption: ‘When it’s been 5 minutes and you haven’t spread Russian propaganda’.
Mariana Betsa, ambassador of Ukraine to Estonia, accused Musk of lacking empathy, pointing to the thousands Ukrainian of civilians killed in Russia’s invasion of her home country.
‘Elon, don’t you have empathy? Ukrainians are killed daily by Russia. We are fighting for our lives, for our families, for our country, for our freedom #StandWithUkraine,’ she wrote on X.
Zelensky visited the United States in September and met top officials in Washington in a bid to secure further aid. Pictured: Zelensky and Biden in the Oval Office, September 21
Musk also owns SpaceX , which provides Starlink satellite communication services that are vital for Ukraine’s defence effort
Kyiv was quick to hit back at the billionaire, posting a derisive reply of its own. On its official page on X, Ukraine’s parliament accused Musk of spreading Russian propaganda, posting its own version of the meme with a picture of Musk and the caption: ‘When it’s been 5 minutes and you haven’t spread Russian propaganda’
Roman Sheremeta, a Ukrainian academic, wrote that he one admired the Tesla CEO, ‘but he became a mouthpiece of the Russian propaganda and just indecent human being.’
The meme was not the only time Musk commented on Ukraine over the weekend.
On Friday, commenting on the US funding situation, Musk wrote on X: ‘Why do so many American politicians from both parties care 100 times more about the Ukraine border than the USA border?’
Zelensky visited the United States in September and met top officials in Washington in a bid to secure further aid as Kyiv pushes forward with its counteroffensive.
However, over the weekend, aid for Ukraine was omitted from a stopgap funding measure passed by the US Congress to avert a US government shutdown.
The US has been the largest single donor to Ukraine since Russia’s full invasion last year, giving tens of billions of dollars in military and financial aid.
But the dropping of the $6billion funding from the bill will be of concern to Ukraine and its allies, amid fears cracks are appearing in the West over its support for Kyiv.
Ukraine is already nervously eyeing the possibility of a return to the White House by Republican former president Donald Trump, who has previously praised Putin.
President Joe Biden has attempted to reassure Kyiv it will get the funding it needs.
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