Elon Musk has issued a bizarre challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin - with Ukraine on the line.
Taking to Twitter on Monday morning, the Tesla CEO shared several tweets written in both English and Russian.
In the first tweet, the 50-year-old billionaire wrote: "I hereby challenge Владимир Путин to single combat," following by, "stakes are Україна".
A quick translation shows that "Владимир Путин" is Russian for "Vladimir Putin", and "Україна" is Russian for Ukraine. So Musk has literally issued a combat challenge to Putin, with the winner apparently getting Ukraine.
In a follow-up tweet, the SpaceX founder tagged the official Twitter account for the Kremlin, and asked: "Вы согласны на этот бой?" Which translates to "Do you agree to this fight?"
The posts certainly entertained Musk's 77.7 million followers, as they have amassed a combined 180,000+ likes in a matter of hours.
In response to the bizarre challenge, one Twitter user asked: "Did you think this through? Or Am I missing something?"
To which, Musk replied: "I am absolutely serious."
However, others were quick to point out the martial arts background of the Russian leader. In fact, an avid fan of judo, Putin once co-wrote a book called: Judo: History, Theory, Practice.
Although, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last month, several martial arts bodies have attempted to distance themselves from the Russian president.
For example, World Taekwondo - the international governing body of the sport - said in a statement on February 28 that Russia's invasion of Ukraine goes against the group's vision of "Peace is more precious than triumph," in addition to the values of respect and tolerance.
"In this regard, World Taekwondo has decided to withdraw the honorary 9th dan black belt conferred to Mr. Vladimir Putin in November 2013," the governing body said.
Additionally, Putin has also been suspended as the honorary president and ambassador of the International Judo Federation as a result of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
Additionally, if you would like to know how you can support the Ukrainian people at this time, click HERE to find a list of organizations and groups dedicated to helping those affected by this crisis.
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