Ukraine stooped to a new low on Monday after retaliating against Elon Musk for what the Ukrainian government deemed to be memeing in poor taste. A handful of Ukrainian officials have taken issue with Musk’s casual posting that implies the war in Ukraine is a drain on the U.S. or unnecessary to support — a sentiment many Americans agree with.
Where are they getting all this money. We’re 33 trillion in debt… We need to be taking care of our own taxpaying citizens FIRST!
— 𝓣 𝓞 𝓟 𝓓 𝓞 𝓖 𝓔 🪬 (@TOPDOGE007) September 27, 2023
Do you agree?! pic.twitter.com/Tj6atKl22r
— AlphaFo𝕏 (@Alphafox78) September 27, 2023
Many of us thought Ukraine was at war with Russia, but it appears they may be in a meme war with Elon Musk. Elon shared a meme on Sunday that spoke to his usual blunt and comical nature as he mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for going five minutes without asking for another billion dollars in aid.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 1, 2023
Ukrainian Ambassador Mariana Betsa remarked, “Elon, don’t you have any empathy? Ukrainians are killed daily by Russia. We are fighting for our lives, for our families, for our country, for our freedom.”
Elon, don’t you have empathy? Ukrainians are killed daily by Russia. We are fighting for our lives, for our families, for our country, for our freedom #StandWithUkraine https://t.co/boDxZON7qV
— Mariana Betsa (@Mariana_Betsa) October 2, 2023
Mykhailo Podolyak weighed in hurling an insult at Elon that “Any support for Russia today is a direct investment in war, genocide, destruction of the free world, escalation and the right to impunity.”
Any support for Russia today is a direct investment in war, genocide, destruction of the free world, escalation and the right to impunity. Any silence or irony towards Ukraine today is a direct encouragement of Russian propaganda that justifies mass violence and destruction.…
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) October 2, 2023
Ukrainian officials took another swipe at Elon, and this time by playing his own game and sharing another doctored meme — not of Zelensky, but of Elon. The post poked fun at Elon, noting he had gone more than five minutes without spreading Russian propaganda.
Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine) mocks Elon Musk:
When it’s been 5 minutes and you haven’t spread russian propaganda. pic.twitter.com/sIIUWRncSR
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 2, 2023
It appears we have fallen so far that the words of others are held in contempt as inciting a reaction — or even a result — in another nation. Ukrainian officials are barking up the wrong tree if they think Musk is going to concede on his right to free speech or apologize for sharing a meme that is clearly indicative of his interpretation of the situation.
Is Elon’s post actually Russian propaganda as the Ukrainian officials claim, or is he guilty of nothing more than sharing a laugh at someone else’s expense? We’ll let you be the judge.
