The Kremlin has yet to respond to bombastic billionaire Elon Musk's offer to fight Russian President Vladimir Putin with Ukraine on the line, but one world leader has. [LINK]
Ramzan Kadyrov, Head of Chechen Republic, has published an open letter to the Tesla CEO on his Telegram account.
Kadyrov announced this week that he was in Ukraine fighting with Russian forces, although that hasn't been independently verified.
Kadyrov, a long-term ally of the Kremlin who has been accused of human rights abuses, felt he should offer Musk advice after he posed the challenge.
"Elon Musk, a word of advice: Don't measure your strength against that of Putin's. You're in two completely different leagues," Kadyrov wrote to his more than one million subscribers.
"Are you in the red corner of the boxing ring, a businessman and Twitter user; and Putin, in blue, a world politician and strategist, who inspires awe in the West and in the US?
"Vladimir Vladimirovich will look unsportsmanlike when he beats the hell out of you, a much weaker opponent," he wrote.
Kadyrov then suggested Musk would need to pump up his muscles to transform from the "gentle (effeminate) Elona into the brutal Elon you need to be".
Alongside that dose of casual misogyny, Kadyrov also proposed Musk train at Russian Special Forces University to undergo firearms training and attend the Akhmat Fight Club in Chechnya, where he would be "trained to take a punch".
Finally he should attend Grozny Chechen State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company to learn about American "black PR" and teach him how to properly monitor and update his social media accounts.
"You will return from the Chechen Republic a completely different person Elona, that is, Elon."
Musk responded, thanking Kadyrov for the offer but saying such "excellent training" would give him too much of an advantage.
"If he is afraid to fight, I will agree to use only my left hand and I am not even left-handed," he wrote, before signing off as "Elona".
Musk's apparently serious offer to fight Putin was met with a mixed response on social media.
Some of his online fans were quick to back him, suggesting he would have no problem beating the Russian leader.
Others were angry that Musk was attempting to insert himself into the war.
"Ukraine is not yours to gamble, Elon. Want to help? Donate a few billion to help the people of Ukraine buy weapons and food," one wrote.
"They need money. They have a hero. [President of Ukraine] Volodymyr Zelenskyy."
Musk's stance over Ukraine has puzzled many social media observers.
Despite tweeting "hold strong Ukraine'' earlier this month, he also shared a meme yesterday which was captioned "I Support the Current Thing", featuring a cartoon man holding a Ukraine flag against various LGBTQI+ rainbow flags.
It was seen by many as mocking those who are supporting Ukraine on social media.
According to the website KnowYourMeme, the NPC Wojak meme Musk shared is a depiction of a game's non-playable character, meant to "represent people who do not think for themselves or are incapable of having an internal monologue".
