Left image by Patrick Pleul | picture alliance | Getty Images // Right image by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images, FILE

What is Elon Musk thinking?

As we watch millions of Ukrainian people flee their country, civilians dying by the hundreds daily, and Russia continuing to impose itself on its neighbour, it seems that Tesla CEO Elon Musk thinks this is a good time to challenge Russian President Vladamir Putin to a fight. Taking to Twitter, the billionaire has invited Putin to “single combat”, with the winner to take Ukraine.

It’s hard to imagine a bigger insult to the people who are actually fighting and dying in Ukraine. Musk seems to be under the impression that his status as extremely-rich-person awards him the right to make a joke about such a serious issue. Or, in his state of wealth delusion, perhaps he really believes that this fight could happen and he has a chance to be the saviour of Europe.

I hereby challenge
Владимир Путин
to single combat

Stakes are Україна

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 14, 2022

Musk recently sent his satellite internet service Starlink to Ukraine to aid in areas where the internet was down due to Russian shelling, with a shipment of equipment arriving last month. It’s a great example of private enterprise stepping in to help people in a terrible situation – the opposite of his above tweet, which followed a series of cryptic tweets, one of which referenced Macbeth:

By the pricking of my thumbs …

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 14, 2022

There is a beauty to the biological substrate

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 14, 2022

Obviously the Putin X Musk fight is never going to happen but, after all of this is over, it would be great for someone to give Musk a beat down.