Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk caused a Twitter meltdown after he proposed a controversial peace plan to end the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The plan was firmly rejected by multiple Ukrainian officials, who flocked to Musk’s feed, with the notorious Ukrainian envoy Andrey Melnik producing the least diplomatic reaction.
Musk floated his peace plan on Monday, proposing new UN-supervised referendums in former Ukrainian territories, which are currently in the process of being incorporated into Russia. Kiev should also relinquish its claim to Crimea, which broke away from the country back in 2014, as well as ensuring a steady water supply to the peninsula and declaring itself a neutral country.
The plan prompted a furious response from multiple senior Ukrainian officials, including Kiev’s outgoing envoy to Berlin, best known for repeatedly insulting the German leadership and infamously branding Chancellor Olaf Scholz an “offended liverwurst.” Melnik told the billionaire to “f**k off,” suggesting it was the most diplomatic response he could have provided to the peace plan.
The peace plan initially garnered solid support in a Twitter poll, but ultimately attracted the attention of pro-Ukrainian trolls who turned the tide, with nearly 60% opposing it after over 2.6 million votes. Musk, who is no stranger to controversy on Twitter, said the poll had come under the “biggest bot attack I’ve ever seen.”
Another, toned down poll, in which Musk asked whether at least the people of Donbass and Crimea should decide if they want to stay with Russia or Ukraine, was subjected to bot attacks as well. Still, only some 40% of respondents voted to deny these people the right to decide their own fate after more than 2.2 million votes.
Early in the ongoing conflict, Musk strongly supported Kiev, sending hundreds of SpaceX’s Starlink terminals to Ukraine. While the proclaimed purpose of the move was humanitarian, Kiev has since admitted to using them for the war effort, while Russian troops claimed to have seized multiple units from Ukrainian troops.
In wake of the controversial peace plan, however, multiple pro-Ukrainian users suggested the billionaire should now shove said terminals up his rectum, while President Vladimir Zelensky launched a poll of his own, wondering whether his followers preferred the Musk who supported Ukraine or this one, who “supports Russia.”
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