Elon Musk is known for speaking his mind all the time. He takes to Twitter, which he now owns, to express his thoughts on a variety of topics like science, politics, and entertainment. His comments and actions have often irked people from time to time. This includes Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Recently, the Tesla CEO unveiled that Putin had once called him a “war criminal.” In the past, Musk has been vocal about Putin, his wealth and policies, as well as the invasion of Ukraine. So let’s find out what Putin said about Musk in detail and what the billionaire’s response to it is.
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Elon Musk Slams Vladimir Putin
On Monday, a user named Anonymous Operations shared a screenshot of ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Twitter. In it, Medvedev wrote that Ukraine will “disappear” as “no one needs it“.
I’m told Putin called me a war criminal for helping Ukraine, so he’s not exactly my best friend.
All news is to some degree propaganda. Let people decide for themselves.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2023
They tagged Elon Musk in it and asked why they are allowed to speak on the micro-blogging site. In response, Musk wrote: “I’m told Putin called me a war criminal for helping Ukraine, so he’s not exactly my best friend. All news is to some degree propaganda. Let people decide for themselves.”
This tweet polarized people on the internet as some believed that it was a matter of free speech while others felt that the platform is being used as a tool to justify war crimes.
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Twitter Has Eased Out On Russia After Musk Took Over
After Russia invaded Ukraine last year in February, the platform blocked the accounts of Vladimir Putin and some of his ministers. However, they now appear on Twitter after Musk bought the company.
Earlier, Putin had praised Musk for suggesting a peace proposal in favor of Russia. However, he took a U-turn after Musk’s company SpaceX donated over 20,000 Starlink satellites to Ukraine’s military.
Around that time, the Kremlin’s state TV host Vladimir Solovyov called Musk a “war criminal“. It has been more than a year since the invasion and the US has been supporting Ukraine with missiles and tanks.
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