Musk Boasts He Challenged Putin to ‘One on One Physical Combat’
The billionaire was asserting his support for Ukraine and the end of the war when he made the remark.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Elon Musk has no time for critics claiming he is sympathetic to Russian President Vladimir Putin, bragging that he once even challenged Putin to “one on one physical combat.”
Replying to a user on X on Sunday who asked the billionaire to “stop pretending that Putin isn’t the aggressor” and accused him of “only criticizing Ukraine but not Putin for some reason,” Musk laid out his support for Ukraine and called for immediate peace in the ongoing war.
“I literally challenged Putin to one on one physical combat over Ukraine and my Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army,” Musk responded on X, referring to the satellite internet service provided by his rocket company SpaceX, which has proven useful in disaster zones and conflict-ridden areas.
I literally challenged Putin to one on one physical combat over Ukraine and my Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 9, 2025
What I am sickened by is years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will…
“Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off. What I am sickened by is years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose,” he continued. “Anyone who really cares, really thinks and really understands wants the meat grinder to stop. PEACE NOW!!”
In recalling his offer to fight Putin, Musk was seemingly referencing a 2022 X post made shortly after the war’s start, in which he wrote: “I hereby challenge Vladimir Putin to single combat. Stakes are Ukraine.” He subsequently replied to another X user to clarify that he was “absolutely serious.”
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The billionaire’s most recent exchange on the platform, however, was prompted by a call from Utah Sen. Mike Lee not to send “another penny to Ukraine.” Lee’s remarks came in an exchange with conservative influencer Nick Sortor, who questioned how protestors could afford a massive Ukrainian flag unfurled in front of the White House Saturday.
Who paid for this MASSIVE Ukrainian flag that was unfurled in front of the White House today?
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 8, 2025
How many hundreds of thousands did this cost?
I guarantee you my tax dollars somehow funded this.@DOGE might need to have a look. pic.twitter.com/ehottONnA1
Musk, in turn, offered his two cents on the affair and claimed that the “key to the puzzle” is to “place sanctions on the top 10 Ukrainian oligarchs, especially the ones with mansions in Monaco.”
Place sanctions on the top 10 Ukrainian oligarchs, especially the ones with mansions in Monaco, and this will stop immediately.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 9, 2025
That is the key to the puzzle. https://t.co/hgw8tQsEs6
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