Why Elon Musk Changed His Name To "Elona" On Twitter

Elon Musk has changed his name on Twitter after the head of the Chechen Republic called him "effeminate" and said he needed to "pump up those muscles in order to change from the gentle (effeminate) Elona into the brutal Elon." Mr Musk -- who now goes by "Elona Musk" on Twitter -- shared a screenshot of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's Telegram post on the microblogging platform. 

Mr Kadyrov, a Kremlin ally, hit out at Elon Musk a day after the tech billionaire challenged Russian president Vladimir Putin to a one-on-one fight to stop the Ukraine war. 

In response to Mr Musk's challenge, Ramzan Kadyrov advised him not to compare his strength to Putin's. 

"Elon Musk, a word of advice. Don't measure your strength against that of Putin," he wrote in a Telegram post. "Vladimir Vladimirovich will look unsportsmanlike when he beats the hell out of you, a much weaker opponent," he said, using Vladimir Putin's middle name. 

The strongman leader of Chechnya, whose country is infamous for the persecution of gay men, added that Elon Musk needed to muscle up before he could take on the president of Russia in a single combat and referred to him as "Elona". He then suggested that the Tesla and SpaceX founder train at the Russian Special Forces University, Akhmat Fight Club and the Chechen State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company to prepare for the fight with Putin. 

"You will return from the Chechen Republic a completely different person Elon, that is, Elona," wrote Ramzan Kadyrov. 

Telegram post by Ramzan Kadyrov, head of Chechen Republic! pic.twitter.com/UyByR9kywq

— Elona Musk (@elonmusk) March 15, 2022

Elon Musk, 50, responded with a snarky tweet as he changed his name to Elona Musk. "Thank you for the offer, but such excellent training would give me too much of an advantage," he wrote.

"If he is afraid to fight, I will agree to use only my left hand and I am not even left-handed," he added, signing off as "Elona".

Thank you for the offer, but such excellent training would give me 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.

Elona

— Elona Musk (@elonmusk) March 15, 2022

Elon Musk has been vocal about his support of Ukraine - he had earlier sent Starlink terminals to the war-hit country to keep internet services running.