Elon Musk says he could ‘die in mysterious circumstances’ after showdown with Russia

Elon Musk has talked about “dying in mysterious circumstances” in a cryptic tweet.

“If I die under mysterious circumstances, it’s been nice knowin ya,” he wrote on Twitter.

The post came soon after he shared a post from Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia’s space agency. In that statement, Mr Rogozin accused Mr Musk of being “involved in supplying the fascist forces in Ukraine with military communication equipment”.

“And for this, Elon, you will be held accountable like an adult – no matter how much you’ll play the fool,” he concluded.

Six minutes later, Mr Musk shared the tweet about dying in mysterious circumstances.

Maye Musk, Elon’s mother, responded to his tweet, quoting it and writing “that’s not funny”, alongside two angry emojis.

“Sorry!” Mr Musk wrote in reply. “I will do my best to stay alive.”

He also liked a tweet by Pranay Pathole, an Indian engineer who regularly responds to Mr Musk’s tweets, in which he appeared to express concern for Mr Musk’s safety.

“Elon & his ventures are the reason I wake up every morning filled with hope, optimism, joy, & excitement that humanity has a better future with Elon around,” Mr Pathole wrote. “I’m sure I’m not the only one to wake up with that optimism.

“Take care, Elon. Stay safe. The world needs you.”

Elon Musk and Dmitry Rogozin have sparred throughout the war in Ukraine. They have traded sometimes traded bellicose and often mocking messages about the space industry and Starlink – as well as the war generally, given their status as two of their country’s biggest tweeters.

In March, for instance, Mr Rogozin was the most prominent Russian government official to come to Vladimir Putin’s defence after Mr Musk challenged him to “single combat”. Mr Rogozin mocked Mr Musk for tweeting from the toilet and suggested he was a “little devil”.