Tesla and Twitter owner Elon Musk weighed in on the escalating security situation in Russia, where a mutiny led by Wagner mercenary group is unfolding.
The billionaire's quirky meme-tweet seemingly highlights his own concern about the situation, mirroring the worry of Western capitals over the ongoing instability and risk of a civil war in the nuclear-armed nation.
Musk tweeted a meme with a split image: the top image displays a girl peacefully sleeping, captioned "How do girls sleep?"
In stark contrast, the bottom image shows a sleep-deprived man with bloodshot eyes, captioned "How do boys sleep? - They don't. They are monitoring the situation with Wagner Coup."
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 24, 2023
Yevgeny Prigozhin was once so close to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he earned him the nickname "Putin's chef".
Don’t even trust nobody pic.twitter.com/VHa1zVGI71
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 24, 2023
The tweet comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a national address, pledged to take "decisive action" in response to the "armed mutiny" led by Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group.
Prigozhin's forces have reportedly seized control of a key city and are progressing towards Moscow.
Putin condemned the actions of the Wagner Group, characterizing them as treasonous. In contrast, Prigozhin defiantly stated in an audio message that neither he nor his men have plans to surrender.
"When it comes to treason, the president is deeply wrong. We are patriots of our motherland. Nobody plans to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB, or anyone else," Prigozhin proclaimed.
The world watches on as the situation continues to develop, with leaders from Europe to the US expressing their concerns.
In its regular intelligence update, British Ministry of Defence called the situation "the most significant challenge": "Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times." "Further Wagner units are moving north through Voronezh Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow".
